Tubercolosis is making a serious comeback, espescially here in the DR

beeza

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Nov 2, 2006
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As quoted in DR1 news feed here Dominican Republic News & Travel Information Service

My maid has just been diagnosed positive. I was worried after seeing her with a persistent cough of more than a couple of weeks. I sent her to get checked out. She ended up in a clinic in Moca that specialises in lung problems.

The results came back today. The good news is that it was caught early and she is strong enough for the treatment. The other good news is that the World Health Organisation (WHO) subsidise the drugs and her treatment which will last several months is free.

I just wanted to open this thread to promote awareness of this potentially lethal but preventable disease that affects so many people here. If you see anyone who has a persistent cough that lasts for more than two weeks, get it checked out.

I lost my stepmother to TB last year.
 
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Black Dog

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May 29, 2009
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This is a great use of this forum. My mother had TB at 18 and had respiritory problems all her life until she died at the age of 50. It is possible for people die of complacency so raising this issue is a great step in the right direction!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

mike l

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Sep 4, 2007
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I read that as well and am a bit concerned.

I tested positive but did not show any signs in 1987 and was not treated as it was dormant.

In 1993 i still tested positive and took the medication for 3 months and was no longer positive.

This disease can lay dormant and then all of a sudden you can come down with it and it is deadly so I would suggest everyone to get tested and if you are positive ( meaning you have been exposed to TB ) then take the preventative meds
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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TB is out and about in many places - i have several relatives who are sick and lost some to this disease too. in poland once a year lung screen was compulsory for all students and workers (regardless of profession). but then the system changed and so did the health care.
if you can afford it get yourself checked by the doctor once a year, folks!
 

PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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Follow Up Care !

What is not discussed fully is when a person is diagnosed with TB within the country and prescribed a medicine regime, where is the follow up care? The effective treatment of TB requires the patient to adhere to safe health instructions and ingest the medications as prescribed without fail. A failure to follow the regime makes the patient at risk to succumb to the disease and and provides an environment for the disease to become resistant to the prescribed medication(s). This failure facilitates the spread of a drug resistant disease to infect more of the population.

There is no working mechanism within the country that PJT is aware of that requires a health care provider or organization to track a TB patient treatment progress or requires a TB patient to report his compliance. If there is, it would be interesting to find out.

Regards,
PJT
 

Richie

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Mar 30, 2005
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Calm down dear.

Where I live there have been regular TB panics for the last couple of decades. Usually these are linked to the latest immigration scare and accompanied by the rider that they concern a new strain of TB which cannot be treated. They have taken their places alongside the millennium bug, bird flu, swine flu (once predicted to have been a pandemic by the beginning of this year but I can't say I noticed), uncontrollable Eastern European immigration and an Abba reunion in the great pantheon of media inflated conspiracy theories and baseless paranoia (note that the article linked to is built around the word "could" and recognises that "detection is difficult").

You are right to advise anyone with any sort of persistent cough to get it checked out. There is no room for complacency in public health but just because one's servants are getting sick is there any reason to think that TB is any more prevalent in the DR than anywhere else with a similar public health profile?
 
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beeza

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Calm down dear.

Where I live there have been regular TB panics for the last couple of decades. Usually these are linked to the latest immigration scare and accompanied by the rider that they concern a new strain of TB which cannot be treated. They have taken their places alongside the millennium bug, bird flu, swine flu (once predicted to have been a pandemic by the beginning of this year but I can't say I noticed), uncontrollable Eastern European immigration and an Abba reunion in the great pantheon of media inflated conspiracy theories and baseless paranoia (note that the article linked to is built around the word "could" and recognises that "detection is difficult").

You are right to advise anyone with any sort of persistent cough to get it checked out. There is no room for complacency in public health but just because one's servants are getting sick is there any reason to think that TB is any more prevalent in the DR than anywhere else with a similar public health profile?

Why thank you for those kind words. I feel so much calmer now!

Now please I don't want to disturb you any more. Go back and bury your head in the sand.
 
Aug 21, 2007
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TB must be somewhat prevalent here in the DR- at least on the North Coast. I understand there is a TB clinic in Puerto Plata.
 

drloca

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Oct 26, 2004
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I was surpised to see how prevavlent TB is in Canada since living here for 15 years. Working in healthcare, I had less exposure to it in my country of birth which is considered third world than I do here in Canada.

One problem here is, many immigrants for some odd reason are only screened for it once they are here and have their status:ermm:. This situation then snowballs when these people make visits back to their developing countries where TB is very prevalant and continue the cycle of bringing it back here as a souvenir!:tired:

As with any treatment, compliance/follow-up is key.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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Then there is the problem of some countries who use live TB in their vaccines - when I was a School Business Administrator we hired an Israeli husband and wife to run the school lunch program. A mantoux TB test is part of the new-hire process for schools in NJ [hopefully everywhere] and they both tested positive because of the vaccine they had in Israel. Health Dept acknowledged that, but still made them go through the months of medication before clearing them to work.

I wonder how many countries use that.... causing false positives?

AE
 

Hillbilly

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Jan 1, 2002
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The exam for exposure is fairly easy. Treatment in early stages is not that difficult.

Major problem here is the group of people that have the highly resistant strain of the disease. It requires the latest in Anti-biotics and these are really expensive. I do hope that the WHO program gets more publicity, because from what my doctor friends have told me, what happens is that a person with TB will begin the treatment, feel oh-so-much better, and because of the cost, stop treatment, allowing it to come back even worse than before.!!!

Awareness is very importante..

HB
 

drloca

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Oct 26, 2004
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Then there is the problem of some countries who use live TB in their vaccines - when I was a School Business Administrator we hired an Israeli husband and wife to run the school lunch program. A mantoux TB test is part of the new-hire process for schools in NJ [hopefully everywhere] and they both tested positive because of the vaccine they had in Israel. Health Dept acknowledged that, but still made them go through the months of medication before clearing them to work.

I wonder how many countries use that.... causing false positives?

AE

Wow, thats crazy!

A positive mantoux only means that the person has had an exposure, not that they have the active disease. We have annual TB testing here in my workplace and it is not unusual for people to test positive. Its pretty standard in that case, they will perform a chest xray in the abscence of any other symptoms and they're good to go.(provided xray is clear)

While its great that stringent standards are in place, it seems excessive to have put this couple through the treatment. I guess it boils down to potential liability??

Very interesting though.
 

whirleybird

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Feb 27, 2006
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Because they could not find another disease, they started to treat Mr. WB for TB here in the DR - all free but, sadly, that was not the problem. After a whole month back in a UK hospital, he was found to have Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma so what a waste of the TB meds here in the DR!!!!