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Jailed For Failing To Take Medication
Jailed For Failing To Take Medication
This seems to be the perfect scenario for iron reduction therapy.
Food intake controlled and enforceable treatment program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
23 escaped TB patients remain at large
S. Africans with drug-resistant strain fled hospital's isolation unit
last week
updated 10:29 a.m. PT, Wed., Dec. 19, 2007
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South African authorities have threatened
to use police in door-to-door searches to compel 23 patients with
highly infectious, drug resistant tuberculosis to return to the
hospital they escaped from last week.
Eastern Cape health department spokesman Siyanda Manana said Wednesday
that court orders would be delivered to the patients' homes Thursday.
"If they do not return immediately, department officials will be
accompanied by members of the South African Police Service in a door-
to-door search," he said.
In all, 49 patients fled from the Jose Pearson hospital near the
coastal city of Port Elizabeth between Wednesday and Friday of last
week by cutting a gap through the wire fence surrounding the isolation
unit.
The patients, who are suffering from multi-drug resistant TB and its
even more incurable form, extremely drug resistant TB, had complained
that they wanted to spend Christmas with their families. Some had been
in the hospital for more than 18 months.
In the interim, 26 have returned to the hospital of their own accord.
"I think that those who returned are aware that they are putting
themselves and their families at risk," said Manana, according to the
South African Press Association.
Virtually incurable TB epidemic
The mass escape highlighted the problems faced by South Africa as it
struggles to cope with an epidemic of virtually incurable TB that
feeds off the AIDS virus and kills most of its victims. South Africa
has an estimated 5.4 million people living with the AIDS virus.
There have been around 400 confirmed cases of the incurable strain
known as XDR-TB, or extremely drug resistant TB. But activists say the
actual number is probably much larger, because testing methods are not
sophisticated enough to detect the new strain and many people die
before they can be diagnosed.
Several provinces in South Africa have been forced to take legal
action to force drug resistant TB patients to stay in the hospital.
Earlier this year in Cape Town, for instance, authorities had to
confine a minibus taxi driver -- who was a potential risk to hundreds
of people every day -- after he insisted he could not afford the loss
of wages by committing himself to a hospital.
Although forced confinement of patients violates most medical ethics,
authorities say they have no choice but to put the wider public good
above individual rights. Confinement for XDR-TB is at least six
months.
Some patients have been at the Jose Pearson institution for more than
twelve months while others have been there more than eighteen months.
Patients wanted to spend holidays with family
Tension started mounting early in December when patients insisted they
be released to spend the festive season with their families.
As a compromise, the hospital agreed to release those considered
slightly less infectious for a limited period under strict
supervision. Patients not released were promised a function with their
families at the hospital.
It was unclear what prompted the patients to break out. The hospital
has since changed its security firm and increased the number of
watchmen.
"We are pleading for these patients to come back to hospital," said
Manana.
South African authorities say they do not have the resources to
enforce isolation and treatment, as in the United States, because the
number of patients is far too high.
Earlier this month, the state of Arizona jailed a man who failed to
take medication for a TB infection. Andrew Speaker, the American who
caused an international health scare and was the subject of a federal
investigation after he flew to Europe for his wedding in May, was
forcibly quarantined by U.S. authorities upon his return to the United
States.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Effect of the Host's Iron Status on Tuberculosis
Author(s) Johan R. Boelaert, Stefaan J. Vandecasteele, Rui
Appelberg,
and Victor R. Gordeuk
Identifiers
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, volume 195 (2007), pages 1745-
1753
DOI: 10.1086/518040
PubMed ID: 17492589
Abstract
Several lines of evidence have suggested that iron is critical for
Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in macrophages. Macrophage iron
loading in patients with African iron overload increases the risk of
tuberculosis (TB) and may worsen TB outcome. Likewise, macrophage
iron
loading may contribute to an increased predisposition toward TB in
HIV
infection. Human genetic disorders or variations may increase the
risk
of TB or worsen its outcome through macrophage iron loading,
including
the haptoglobin 2-2 phenotype, NRAMP1 polymorphisms (at least in
Africans and Asians), and possibly ferroportin 1 mutations, but not
HFE hemochromatosis. Thus, the host's iron status may be an important
yet underevaluated factor in TB prevention and therapy and in TB
vaccine design.
Published by the University of Chicago Press
Copyright (c) 2007, the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
http :// jesuswasavegetarian.7h,com
Man Is A Herbivore!
http :// tinyurl,com /a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
http :// tinyurl,com /zk9fk
This seems to be the perfect scenario for iron reduction therapy.
Food intake controlled and enforceable treatment program.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
23 escaped TB patients remain at large
S. Africans with drug-resistant strain fled hospital's isolation unit
last week
updated 10:29 a.m. PT, Wed., Dec. 19, 2007
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa - South African authorities have threatened
to use police in door-to-door searches to compel 23 patients with
highly infectious, drug resistant tuberculosis to return to the
hospital they escaped from last week.
Eastern Cape health department spokesman Siyanda Manana said Wednesday
that court orders would be delivered to the patients' homes Thursday.
"If they do not return immediately, department officials will be
accompanied by members of the South African Police Service in a door-
to-door search," he said.
In all, 49 patients fled from the Jose Pearson hospital near the
coastal city of Port Elizabeth between Wednesday and Friday of last
week by cutting a gap through the wire fence surrounding the isolation
unit.
The patients, who are suffering from multi-drug resistant TB and its
even more incurable form, extremely drug resistant TB, had complained
that they wanted to spend Christmas with their families. Some had been
in the hospital for more than 18 months.
In the interim, 26 have returned to the hospital of their own accord.
"I think that those who returned are aware that they are putting
themselves and their families at risk," said Manana, according to the
South African Press Association.
Virtually incurable TB epidemic
The mass escape highlighted the problems faced by South Africa as it
struggles to cope with an epidemic of virtually incurable TB that
feeds off the AIDS virus and kills most of its victims. South Africa
has an estimated 5.4 million people living with the AIDS virus.
There have been around 400 confirmed cases of the incurable strain
known as XDR-TB, or extremely drug resistant TB. But activists say the
actual number is probably much larger, because testing methods are not
sophisticated enough to detect the new strain and many people die
before they can be diagnosed.
Several provinces in South Africa have been forced to take legal
action to force drug resistant TB patients to stay in the hospital.
Earlier this year in Cape Town, for instance, authorities had to
confine a minibus taxi driver -- who was a potential risk to hundreds
of people every day -- after he insisted he could not afford the loss
of wages by committing himself to a hospital.
Although forced confinement of patients violates most medical ethics,
authorities say they have no choice but to put the wider public good
above individual rights. Confinement for XDR-TB is at least six
months.
Some patients have been at the Jose Pearson institution for more than
twelve months while others have been there more than eighteen months.
Patients wanted to spend holidays with family
Tension started mounting early in December when patients insisted they
be released to spend the festive season with their families.
As a compromise, the hospital agreed to release those considered
slightly less infectious for a limited period under strict
supervision. Patients not released were promised a function with their
families at the hospital.
It was unclear what prompted the patients to break out. The hospital
has since changed its security firm and increased the number of
watchmen.
"We are pleading for these patients to come back to hospital," said
Manana.
South African authorities say they do not have the resources to
enforce isolation and treatment, as in the United States, because the
number of patients is far too high.
Earlier this month, the state of Arizona jailed a man who failed to
take medication for a TB infection. Andrew Speaker, the American who
caused an international health scare and was the subject of a federal
investigation after he flew to Europe for his wedding in May, was
forcibly quarantined by U.S. authorities upon his return to the United
States.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Effect of the Host's Iron Status on Tuberculosis
Author(s) Johan R. Boelaert, Stefaan J. Vandecasteele, Rui
Appelberg,
and Victor R. Gordeuk
Identifiers
The Journal of Infectious Diseases, volume 195 (2007), pages 1745-
1753
DOI: 10.1086/518040
PubMed ID: 17492589
Abstract
Several lines of evidence have suggested that iron is critical for
Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in macrophages. Macrophage iron
loading in patients with African iron overload increases the risk of
tuberculosis (TB) and may worsen TB outcome. Likewise, macrophage
iron
loading may contribute to an increased predisposition toward TB in
HIV
infection. Human genetic disorders or variations may increase the
risk
of TB or worsen its outcome through macrophage iron loading,
including
the haptoglobin 2-2 phenotype, NRAMP1 polymorphisms (at least in
Africans and Asians), and possibly ferroportin 1 mutations, but not
HFE hemochromatosis. Thus, the host's iron status may be an important
yet underevaluated factor in TB prevention and therapy and in TB
vaccine design.
Published by the University of Chicago Press
Copyright (c) 2007, the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Who loves ya.
Tom
Jesus Was A Vegetarian!
http :// jesuswasavegetarian.7h,com
Man Is A Herbivore!
http :// tinyurl,com /a3cc3
DEAD PEOPLE WALKING
http :// tinyurl,com /zk9fk
