New pee test for TB could save thousands

23 March 2017 - 14:39 By Farren Collins
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A new pee-based test‚ similar to those used to determine pregnancy‚ being used to diagnose tuberculosis could save thousands of lives in South Africa.

Researches from the University of Cape Town found that the TB-LAM urine test was a “simple” and “inexpensive” way to test for TB among hospitalised patients with HIV.

Findings of the research was published in the BMC Medicine Journal this month which coincides with TB Awareness Month. Recently health minister‚ Aron Motsoaledi‚ said a national strategy for HIV-AIDS‚ TB and sexually transmitted infections would be unveiled.

  • Blood test gives early warning of TB dangerSouth African researchers are testing a breakthrough approach that they say could mean the end of the tuberculosis epidemic. 

The test‚ which detects components of the cell wall of the TB bacterium in the urine‚ was proven to be more efficient than traditional rapid sputum-based tests. Researcher on the study‚ Graeme Meintjies‚ said that the findings could reduce mortality among HIV-infected patients admitted to hospital by speeding up the diagnosis of TB.

  • TB still SA's top killerTuberculosis stubbornly remains the main cause of death for South Africans‚ killing most of the 460,236 people who died in 2015. 

“The findings of these studies challenge the dogma that the first place to look for TB is in the sputum‚” said Meintjies. In 2014 TB overtook HIV as the number one killer of all infectious diseases in South Africa and globally. According to Stats SA‚ TB killed more than 33 000 people in SA in 2015‚ and the incident rate locally was 520 per 100 000 of the population.

Motsoaledi said that government had worked hard to bring the TB mortality rate down from 70 000 per annum “about 10 years ago”‚ but that 33 000 it was still “too high”.

  • Free TB and HIV tests at Johannesburg clinics until end AprilThe City of Johannesburg says residents can go for Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS screening for free at all the metro's clinics until the end of April 2017. 

 Part of the problem was a lack of new research into drugs to treat TB and other drug resistant forms of the disease. “Because the world had thought that we had defeated TB‚ there has been no new research for the past 50 years.

It's only now that we are waking up‚” said Motsoaledi. According to a report by Bizcommunity‚ a Japanese drug maker will supply South Africa free-of-charge‚ to pilot one of the few new TB drugs to be developed in half a century. Link:

The drug‚ which is called Delamanid and usually costs R430 000 for a six-month treatment‚ will be rolled out to 200 patients. South Africa National TB Association (SANTA) Community Services Manager Peter Mabalane‚ said that a lack of funding for TB programmes and the conflation of TB and HIV‚ meant the problem of TB was not properly addressed.

“TB is not getting the attention it deserves and is treated as a secondary disease to HIV‚” said Mabalane. “There is no need for people to die from TB because it is curable. We need a well funded unit that will liaise properly with NGO's and communities at large to fight TB.” Motsoaledi said the core infection rates for TB and HIV were very high‚ and both diseases could not be looked at in isolation. He said that the strategy plan would deal with prevention‚ treatment care and support and targeting key populations.

- TMG Digital/The Times

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