No Cause for Alarm Over Drug-Resistant TB Case – GHS

The Ghana Health Service has called for calm among the public following a reported case of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis (TB) case in the country.

It said there is no cause for alarm as it can assure the public that no further deaths will be recorded from the disease.

The Ghana Health Service on Friday confirmed that Ghana had recorded its first case of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Tuberculosis (TB).

According to the Service, the victim of the disease had died.

But according to the Manager of the National TB Control Programme, Dr. Frank Bonsu, the Health Service has taken measures to ensure the disease does not spread.

He noted that all persons who came into contact with the deceased have been screened and none of them have tested positive.

“Since the index case that was identified, we have done a lot of household screening around that case, and his contacts. We have not identified any [other] case yet.”

“As long as we continue to have a strong National TB control programme, where we are able to identify TB cases early and ensure that they are cured, we don’t anticipate problems. Our best bet is to prevent the occurrence of an explosion is to ensure that the regular, normal TB cases are adequately covered, protected, treated and supported,” he said.

The extreme drug-resistant TB strain, otherwise known as extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR/TB) is a rare type of Tuberculosis that does not respond to standard treatment with first-line anti-TB drugs and can take up to two years or more to treat with drugs that are less potent, more toxic and much more expensive.

The treatment of TB in Ghana is free.

Source: Citifmonline