TB outbreak reported in Bosavi

TWO women and four men, all health workers, travelled by helicopter to the remote Waposale in Bosavi, Southern Highlands, and tested and treated 300-odd locals for tuberculosis (TB) and other illnesses.
All six health workers, from the Southern Highlands Health Authority (SHPPHA), also tested 75 persons for HIV and syphilis. This took place at the beginning of this month.
The team also conducted awareness on tuberculosis and screened and tested people of all ages from infants to toddlers to 60-year-olds both male and female.
This was done in the six Waposale villages which are: Wara Kalap, Manu, Tingiri, and Kepa in ward one and ward two villages downstream of Erave river, were Kele and Baiya Point.
PHA’s tuberculosis, HIV and sexually transmitted disease programmes manager Augustine Brian said of the 300-odd persons, the team screened and assessed 230 patients who were able to make it to the clinic site.
“We paddled up and down the huge Erave River looking for and treating patients,” Brian said.
He said of the 230 patients, 54 were diagnosed with TB, 23 children and 31 adults.
“That shows that there is TB outbreak in Waposale,” he said.
“Seventeen children who had TB are yet to be started on drugs because the 10 pediatric TB drugs I took for this trip were not sufficient.
“Twenty-six suspicious TB deaths have already been recorded in the eight plus villages by the village leaders.
“We diagnosed and treated three bedridden TB patients who might have died within not weeks but days.
“I am now putting together another plan to return to start the 16 pediatric TB cases and to travel downstream to the very last two villagers who we couldn’t reach due to limited time.”