Summary Objective: To determine the clinical profile and outcomes of health care workers (HCWs) with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) in the Eastern and Western Cape Provinces of South Africa.
Method: Retrospective case record review of 334 patients with XDR-TB reported during the period 1996-2008 from Western and Eastern Cape Province, Cape Town, South Africa. Case records of HCWs with XDR-TB were analysed for clinical and microbiological features, and treatment outcomes.
Results: From 334 case records of patients with XDR-TB, 10 HCWs were identified. Eight of ten were HIV-uninfected, and four of 10 had died of XDR-TB despite treatment. All 10 HCWs had received an average of 2.4 courses of TB treatment before being diagnosed as XDR-TB.
Conclusions: In the Eastern and Western Cape provinces of South Africa XDR-TB affects HCWs, is diagnosed rather late, does not appear to be related to HIV status and carries a high mortality. There is an urgent need for the South African government to implement WHO infection control recommendations and make available rapid drug susceptibility testing for HCWs with suspected multidrug-resistant (MDR)/XDR-TB. Further studies to establish the actual risk and sources of infection (nosocomial or community) are required.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02590.x | DOI Listing |
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
February 2025
Cultural Heritage Unit, Conservation Services Division, South African National Parks, Pretoria 0002, South Africa.
The rise and spread of ancient Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) trade networks profoundly impacted southern Africa. Control over this trade played a critical role in the rise and maintenance of complex societies of the second millennium CE such as Mapungubwe and Great Zimbabwe. While the African origins of this trade lie in the first millennium CE, understanding its earliest phases and subsequent development in the far south has been hampered by a general paucity of research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
January 2025
Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa.
Introduction: The global prevalence of antimicrobial resistance transcends geographical and economic boundaries, affecting populations worldwide. Excessive and incorrect use of antibiotics encourages antimicrobial resistance which leads to complex treatment strategies for infectious diseases and possible failure of treatment. The incorrect and unnecessary prescribing of antibiotics places a burden on healthcare costs and thus, antimicrobial resistance is evident globally as a major public health concern.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIsotopes Environ Health Stud
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, South Africa.
This study presents an investigation into the natural radioactivity levels of U, Th, and K using a thallium-doped sodium iodide (NaI(TI)) detector and associated radiological hazards in river sediments, specifically sand, which serves as a crucial building material in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. The assessment aims to provide insights into potential radiological risks posed by the utilization of these sediments in construction activities. The mean activity concentrations of U, Th, and K are 145.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Surg
January 2025
Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong, SAR.
Background: Understanding based on up-to-date data on the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is limited, especially regarding how subtypes contribute to the overall NCD burden and the attributable risk factors across locations and subtypes. We aimed to report the global, regional, and national burden of NCDs, subtypes, and attributable risk factors in 2021, and trends from 1990 to 2021 by age, sex, and socio-demographic index (SDI).
Materials And Methods: We used data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 to estimate the prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for NCDs and subtypes, along with attributable risk factors.
Q J Nucl Med Mol Imaging
January 2025
Section of Nuclear Medicine and Diagnostic Imaging, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.
Background: One can assess cortical defects on the early images of [99mTc]Tc-MAG3 renography. We aimed to assess interobserver and intraobserver reproducibility for detecting renal cortical defects using [99mTc]Tc-MAG3 for adults and children; identify causes for poor inter- and intraobserver reproducibility and to assess the effect of the kidney to background ratio (KTBR) on reproducibility.
Methods: One hundred adult and 200 pediatric renograms were included.
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