TB statistics in Pom frightening

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, September 28, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

VARIOUS experts from the medical fraternity in the nation’s capital gave frightening statistics on reality of the infectious bacterial disease Tuberculosis (TB) last week during the passing out of trained TB Support Volunteers in Port Moresby.

Doctors associated in treating and fighting the spread of the disease sounded a warning to the general populous in the city to take ownership of the issue and make sure to have anyone suspected of contracting disease.

National TB Program Manager Dr Paul Aia said that the TB disease was as old as mankind itself, and is prevalent in today’s Papua New Guinean society.

He said the bacteria itself is a challenge as it protects itself from various drugs with a thick coat of resistance, which is why so many drug are used to take care of it.

“It is airborne, unlike HIV which at most time is caused by choice, while we are talking if one of us is talking or cough we are putting it into the air.”

“The closeness of the PNG family and community is such that we are closely nit and when one coughs the air is circulated- adding that to the density of Port Moresby and it becomes even more dangerous.”

Dr Aia said that despite the drugs being available the problem was one of self medication.

“How many of us know that we can self-medicate? Some patients get on the drugs and rather then sticking with the recommended duration of the treatment, when they feel better, they get off the treatment,” he said.

“The truth is that most TB patients do not go to health centers but remain in the communities.”

He said a review done on the national program revealed that Southern Region with the highest volume of TB cased with NCD leading the way.

“This is the gateway to Papua New Guinea so whoever comes in may walk out with TB, we don’t want to be blamed for exporting this.”

“What we have observed from the statistics is that we have a high number of patients infected between the ages of 15 to 45-50 which shows that there is a high transmission rate within the community.

“The success rate of TB treatment is at 60 percent so that is very low compared to the WHO (World Health Organization) standard of 85 percent.”

Dr Rendi Moke, a TB Physician at the Port Moresby General Hospital revealed the most striking facts about the spread of TB and its drug resistant version.

“I work at the hospital and we seem to be on the receiving end and all the patients that are coming to the Hospital and the tap is not closed yet,” Dr Moke said.

“Most of our admissions, about 40% percent of those, are TB cases for the last six months, and there are people still coming in sick and something has to be done about this.”

“Of the four medical wards that we have, two are occupied by TB Patients where one is just for Drug resistant TB cases.”

He said that for NCD alone, they are treating more than 90 MDR (Multidrug-Resistant) cases at the moment, with 26 confirmed cases.

“A lot of the cases are of patient who have been treated before, they have been on treatment but were defaulters, getting treated for two months but after two months they felt better and stopped taking their medicines,” Dr Moke added.

“What could have been treatment for a duration of 6 to 8 month, they are now expected to undergo medication for more than 20 months.”

“At the moment we have a very mobile population and we have patients from NCD itself, Gulf and Central province so we are in the midst of everything.”

He said that it was important to identify where the patients are coming from as the numbers in the city now stand compared to the nation that for every 100 cases of TB confirmed in PNG, 25 are from Prot Moresby.

All speakers raised concerns that with the capital set to host the South Pacific Games in 2015 and APEC Summit in 2018, with the number of international visitors the issues needs even more attention on a national scale.