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Communicable Diseases
Introduction
The Communicable Disease Programme focuses on Infectious Disease management and control and includes:
HIV & AIDS;
Tuberculosis;
Sexually Transmitted Infections;
Other Notifiable Conditions and Disease Outbreak Response
The non-clinical HIV and AIDS activities within this programme is co-ordinated from the AIDS Training, Information and Counseling Centre (ATICC).
Ante-Retroviral Treatment is available from 9 Primary Health Care Sites, 4 Hospital Sites and 1 Correctional Services site within Nelson Mandela Bay.
Primary Health Care Sites
Chatty Clinic
Kwazakhele Community Health Centre
Laetitia Bam Community Health Centre
Masakhane Clinic
Motherwell Community Health Centre
New Brighton Clinic
Rosedale Community Health Centre
Walmer 14th Avenue Clinic
Zwide Clinic
Hospital Sites
Dora Nginza Hospital
Livingstone Hospital
Uitenhage Provincial Hospital
Empilweni Hospital (TB patients only)
Jose Pearson Hospital (TB patients only)
Correctional Services
St Albans Correctional Services (serving Correctional facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay and Cacadu)
Tuberculosis
What is T.B?
- T.B is an infectious disease caused by a germ called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis
- The germ enters the body by inhalation through the lungs
- The germs may spread from the initial location in the lungs to other parts of the body via the blood system.
What is the extent of the problem?
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One third of the world’s population is infected with the T.B germ (Mycobacterium Tuberculosis)
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Left untreated, a person with active TB can infect between 10 and 15 people in a year despite the fact that TB is curable, it kills almost 2 million people per year worldwide.
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South Africa is one of the 22 high-burden
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80% of victims are between 15 and 49 - the most economically productive years of their lives
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TB carries a direct cost to the health services and an indirect cost to the family and the community
Why are more and more people getting T.B?
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TB is airborne
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Some people with TB do not always finish taking their TB medicines, so they never get cured
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Some people with infectious TB do not come for testing, so they spread it without knowing it
Many people cannot easily fight TB because:
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They are poor an they do not eat well
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They drink too much alcohol, or smoke too much
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They have diseases like HIV, Diabetes, etc
How is TB spread?
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This is determined by the concentration of TB germs in the lungs and their spread into the surrounding air
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Patients with TB of the lungs in whom the germs are so numerous they can be seen by a microscopic examination of sputum specimens (smear positive) are the most infectious
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The infectious tuberculosis patient expels germs into the air in tiny droplets when coughing or sneezing
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These droplets may remain in the air for several hours
What is the symptoms of TB?
What should I do if I suspect that I have TB?
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Any person with cough for more than 2 weeks can attend any of the 52 clinics within Nelson Mandela by where a sputum test taken.
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The result is available within 24-48 hours
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If you have TB treatment will be administered free of charge from any of these clinics
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Treatment last for 6 months if you have never had TB before (New Case) and 8 months if you have had TB treatment before (Re-treatment Case)
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It is important to complete the full course of treatment (even if you feel better) stopping treatment prematurely can lead to recurrence of the TB and developing of resistance to TB drugs (MDR TB)
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There are 2 specialist TB hospitals within Nelson Mandela Bay namely, Empilweni TB Hospital for New and Re-treatment TB cases and Jose Pearson TB Hospital for MDR and XDR TB cases.
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Jose Pearson TB hospital admits patients from across the Eastern Cape Province.
TB Mobilization Campaigns
1) TB Imbizo’s
In order to involve and mobilize the community to recognize TB symptoms, seek treatment and comply to the full course of the treatment regimen once diagnosed with Tuberculosis quarterly TB Imbizo’s are held.
2) Door-to-door Campaigns
From time to time the Metro embarks on door-to-door campaigns supported by politicians to raise awareness with regard to the diagnosis of Tuberculosis and promote the completion of the full course of treatment programmes. These campaigns are ongoing focusing on different areas within the metro.
Sexually transmitted Infections are treated using the syndromic approach as stipulated in the National Guidelines on Treatment of Sexually Transmitted Infections. The importance of the link between HIV & AIDS and other STI’s cannot be over-emphasized. Hence the promotion of condoms (both male and female) form an important part of the management of both these conditions. Male and female condoms are distributed from all health facilities within the Nelson Mandela Metro and companies are able to obtain condom dispensers and condom supply from ATICC, in Abblett St, Korsten should they wish to serve as a distribution point for condoms to their staff.
Other Notifiable conditions and Outbreak Response
Certain conditions, listed as Notifiable Medical Conditions are monitored on a weekly basis to ensure that the appropriate follow up responses are made by Environmental Health Officials and Nursing Staff in order to prevent outbreaks of these diseases.
The NMBM Outbreak Response Team has been formed to deal with these situations and meet on a monthly basis to report back on incidences and activities during that month. In addition to Notifiable Medical Conditions, surveillance of other conditions such as diarrhoea is also undertaken in high risk areas to monitor, for instance water quality.
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