Zambia: Spread of tuberculosis relentless, AIDS responsible - study says ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Datelinehealth-Africa News Service April 17 2003 Zambia - The spread of tuberculosis has been relentless in Zambia, southern Africa in the last thirty seven years and the trend contin- ues to date. This disturbing fact was published recently in the South African Journal of Medicine by a group of Zambian doctors led by Dr. Mwaba, working together with doctors from London. The study reviewed offi- cial health records of TB cases reported throughout the country be- tween January 1, 1964 to December 31, 2000. Facts emerging from the report showed that during the twenty years covering 1964 - 1984, 100 cases of TB were reported for every 100,000 people in Zambia. However, between 1985 to 2000, a twelve-fold in- crease was observed in the number of TB cases reported in the coun- try. The increase completely wiped off all the gains achieved in con- trolling the disease during the 1960s and 1970s says the report. In absolute number terms, new cases of TB increased from 8,246 in 1985 (124/100,000) to 38,863 (409/100,000) in 1996 and 52,000 (512/100,000) in 2000. A comparison of TB reported cases in Zambia with rates in neighbouring countries of Zimbabwe, Malawi and Tanzania over the same period indicates that Zambia has one of the highest re- ported TB rates in the region. This suggests that Zambia, like many countries in Africa, is in the grip of a serious TB epidemic that is showing no signs of abating. The raging HIV/AIDS epidemic and break- down in TB control services are responsible for the relentless spread of TB in Zambia, concludes the study. Source: Mwaba P, et al: The relentless spread of tuberculosis in Zambia -- trends over the past 37 years (1964-2000). South African Medical Journal 2003; Feb; 93(2):149-52 Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. Datelinehealth-Africa Inc, USA. Permission to redistribute for non-commercial use is freely given.