Innovative Cambodia method could curb TB cases
A fast-track approach in identifying patients with tuberculosis (TB) may help tackle the spread of the disease in the city. Experts from the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta and Harvard School of Public Health on Monday discussed this model at a workshop on infection control at Sion Hospital.
Currently, the WHO-approved model is practiced in Cambodia to
reduce the burden of TB. "The idea is to identify patients who
come into hospital with a cough. Designated 'cough officers'
are assigned to work with these patients," said Dr Sujata
Baweja, the head of the microbiology department at Sion
Hospital, who recently attended a short course in 'infection
control' at the Harvard School of Public Health.
According to Baweja, these cough officers first ask the
patient how long the cough has lasted. The patients are then
asked to take a sputum test - the general test for TB where
results are out immediately. If the test is positive, the
patient is put in a separate setup.
"That way, they do not interact with other patients and spread
the disease. If we implement a similar model, it could curb
the spread of TB cases in Mumbai," she added.
Cambodia had one of the highest cases of TB in the world, with
1500 cases per 1,00,000 people in 2002, according to the World
Health Organisation (WHO). After implementing the screening
method, the number of cases, the number of cases dropped by 45
per cent in 2012.
The Cambodian model is the same at mentioned in the WHO policy
on TB infection control in health care settings. The policy
states that people suspected of having pulmonary TB should be
'fast tracked' for rapid diagnosis and if possible, they
should be directed to a separate waiting area. Sputum
collection should be carried out away from other people after
designated 'cough officers' identify the infectious
persons.
The experts were also called in to train the civic engineers,
architects and doctors on ways to bring down tuberculosis
infection, after a 24-year-old medical intern from Sion
Hospital and a 21-year-old nursing student from Nair hospital
succumbed to TB three months ago.
At present, 13 staff members from Sion hospital, 10 staff
members from KEM and nine staff members from Nair Hospital
have contracted TB. These include interns, doctors, nursing
staff and class IV workers. The state-run JJ Hospital has
eight people suffering from TB.
With Sion hospital topping the chart, the civic officials came
to a conclusion that the hospitals building design is such
that the infection level is high. The main flaw in the design
was the poor ventilation in the hospital premises.
"The spread of infection depends much on the basic concept of
ventilation in the hospital buildings. How patients mix with
the other patients also matters," said Paul Jensen, one of the
experts from Centre for Disease Control.
Source:
Mumbai Mirror
