Director of Public Health, Dr. Baldwin Carey, told The Guardian newspaper on Wednesday that several hundred “possible contacts” in the Marsh Harbour area were screened using the Mantoux test.
There were over 100 positive mantouxs from persons who were in contact with the two individuals with confirmed tuberculosis, he said.
In the Mantoux test, named after the French physician who developed it, tuberculin, a sterile liquid preparation extracted from a culture of the bacteria that causes TB is injected beneath the skin to test for a positive reaction.
“We are just completing the x-ray screening of those persons so therefore we’re not sure of how many people we are going to wind up having to treat because the number of positive mantouxs are fairly high in that particular population,” Dr Carey advised.
He said that because of the two cases, health officials had to “screen the whole population.”
“Positive mantouxs do not necessarily mean you have contracted tuberculosis, but they have to be investigated in terms of chest x-rays and depending on their age, they would have to go on preventive treatment,” said Dr. Carey.
The Guardian learned that the two cases of tuberculosis were confirmed a few weeks ago, but health officials were allegedly keeping them “under wraps.” As the information was leaked, it forced the Department of Public Health to go public with the cases.
“As part of the protocol for investigating tuberculosis in The Bahamas, it is recommended that close contact of confirmed cases be screened by Mantoux skin testing and (a) chest x-ray to identify exposure and detect other potential cases,” said Dr. Carey.
Up to March, there were five reported cases of TB.
Dr. Carey advises the public to exercise proper hygiene when coughing or sneezing.
“When coughing or sneezing, the nose and mouth should be covered. Spitting indiscriminately can lead to the spread of airborne infections such as tuberculosis,” he cautioned.
“Do not hawk and spit on sidewalks or roadways. Spit in a tissue and throw it in a garbage bin,” he advised.
Similar to the common cold, tuberculosis is a contagious disease.
“The Department of Public Health wishes to remind the general public about the basic hygienic measures for wellness, namely proper diet, exercise, rest, personal cleanliness and environmental hygiene,” said Dr. Carey.
Only people with TB in their lungs are considered infected, according to information released earlier by the Ministry of Health.
The germs of TB are propelled through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, speaks or spits.
Signs of TB include a cough that lingers for more than 2-3 weeks despite taking a cough medicine or other medicine prescribed by a doctor (with no improvement), weight loss, loss of appetite, night sweats, chills, fever and coughing up blood.
Statistics from the Ministry of Health reveal that there were 242 reported cases of tuberculosis in The Bahamas between 2000 and 2004. Seventy-five percent of those cases were found in New Providence.
However, there has been a 30 percent reduction in the cases from the years 1995 to 1999. Of the total number of cases reported over the last five years, 82 percent of the people diagnosed are still alive. Sixty-four percent of that number is men.
Further statistics reveal that of the number of cases, 38 percent were from people with compromised immune systems, such as those suffering from HIV/AIDS. The death rate in 2002-2003 respectively, was 47 and 42 percent.
In 2004, deaths in the aforementioned cases were reduced to 15 percent, which was attributed to the introduction of anti-viral drugs.
According to World Health Organization reports, the HIV epidemic has posed major challenges to TB control efforts globally. HIV weakens the immune system. Someone who is HIV-positive and infected with TB is five (5) to seven (7) times more likely to develop active TB than someone not infected with HIV.
TB is a leading cause of death among people who are HIV-positive, accounting for about 11 percent of AIDS deaths worldwide.
By: HADASSAH HALL, The Nassau Guardian
