AFRO-NETS> Zambia: Spread of tuberculosis relentless, AIDS responsible - study says

[A Odutola <chpss_abo@yahoo.com>]

Zambia: Spread of tuberculosis relentless, AIDS responsible - study says
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Datelinehealth-Africa News Service
April 17 2003


Zambia - The spread of tuberculosis has been relentless in Zambia, 
southern Africa in the last thirty seven years and the trend contin-
ues to date. 

This disturbing fact was published recently in the South African 
Journal of Medicine by a group of Zambian doctors led by Dr. Mwaba, 
working together with doctors from London. The study reviewed offi-
cial health records of TB cases reported throughout the country be-
tween January 1, 1964 to December 31, 2000.

Facts emerging from the report showed that during the twenty years 
covering 1964 - 1984, 100 cases of TB were reported for every 100,000 
people in Zambia. However, between 1985 to 2000, a twelve-fold in-
crease was observed in the number of TB cases reported in the coun-
try. The increase completely wiped off all the gains achieved in con-
trolling the disease during the 1960s and 1970s says the report.

In absolute number terms, new cases of TB increased from 8,246 in 
1985 (124/100,000) to 38,863 (409/100,000) in 1996 and 52,000 
(512/100,000) in 2000. A comparison of TB reported cases in Zambia 
with rates in neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania 
over the same period indicates that Zambia has one of the highest re-
ported TB rates in the region. This suggests that Zambia, like many 
countries in Africa, is in the grip of a serious TB epidemic that is 
showing no signs of abating. The raging HIV/AIDS epidemic and break-
down in TB control services are responsible for the relentless spread 
of TB in Zambia, concludes the study.

Source: 
Mwaba P, et al: The relentless spread of tuberculosis in Zambia --
trends over the past 37 years (1964-2000). South African Medical 
Journal 2003; Feb; 93(2):149-52

Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Datelinehealth-Africa Inc, USA. 
Permission to redistribute for non-commercial use is freely given.

--
A. Odutola
Centre for Health Policy & Strategic Studies (CHPSS)
Lagos, Nigeria
mailto:chpss_abo@yahoo.com
http://www.expage.com/chpss
http://www.datelinehealth-africa.net
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