High level of initial default among smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis in eThekwini health district, KwaZulu-Natal : research

In this study, initial tuberculosis (TB) default was measured in clinics in a district with a high incidence of TB. A retrospective review of TB case identification registers in 2007 found 4049 (9.0%) new smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases from 44 987 suspects. There were 725 (17.9%)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Southern African journal of infectious diseases 2016-01, Vol.31 (2), p.41-43
Main Authors: Cele, Lindiwe P., Knight, Stephen, Tint, Khin, Dlungwane, Thembelihle, Webb, Elize
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Initial default
KwaZulu-Natal
Tuberculosis
Turnaround time for sputum smear microscopy
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Summary:In this study, initial tuberculosis (TB) default was measured in clinics in a district with a high incidence of TB. A retrospective review of TB case identification registers in 2007 found 4049 (9.0%) new smear positive pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) cases from 44 987 suspects. There were 725 (17.9%) initial defaulters. Fifty-three percent of those traced had already died. TB is the leading cause of death in South Africa due to an infectious disease, and the high level of initial defaults in PTB is one of the "unresolved issues" in TB control programmes that needs to be addressed.
ISSN:2312-0053
DOI:10.1080/23120053.2016.1128139