Islands of hope: Building local capacity to manage an outbreak of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the pacific

R. Brostrom, D. Fred, A. Heetderks, M. Desai, R. Song, M. Haddad, R. Wada and S. Bamrah

American Journal of Public Health, 2011, vol. 101, issue 1, 14-18

Abstract: A single case of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) can overwhelm the technical and financial capacity of small TB programs. In May 2008, the island state of Chuuk requested assistance for their first casesofMDR-TB.Second- line drugs and isolation rooms were unavailable, lab capacitywas limited, andclinicians lacked experience. Delayed response caused prolonged transmission among household contacts. Severalagenciesresponded with technical assistance and resources. Subsequent evaluations identified 16 additional MDR-TB cases and 124 infected contacts. Within six months, thelocalTBprogram gainedremarkablecapacityto manage MDR-TB cases and contacts, and greatly improve care for allTBpatients. The Chuuk outbreak demonstrates the importance of establishing MDR-TB readiness in smaller jurisdictions and maintaining an essential TB control infrastructure.

Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2009.177170_8

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.177170

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