Specialists fear the closure of health clinics in the Torres Strait this week could see a dangerous new drug-resistant form of tuberculosis emerge on mainland Australia.

For the past decade, Queensland doctors have been flying to Australia’s northernmost islands to treat PNG nationals in order to stop the spread of a highly infectious drug-resistant form of tuberculosis.

But the Queensland and federal governments have controversially decided to close the clinics, leaving the responsibility for controlling the potential public health disaster to Papua New Guinea.

Queensland Health doctors first set up outreach chest clinics 10 years ago on Boigu Island, a short boat trip away from impoverished PNG villages with little or no access to medical services.

The nearest hospital on the PNG side of the border was on Daru Island, hours away by boat and hopelessly under-resourced.

Dr Steven Vincent is about to depart on his last journey to the outermost islands of the Torres Strait to hold tuberculosis clinics for Papua New Guineans.

He says it is not only PNG nationals who are threatened by this disease.

Dr Vincent says he is “pretty certain” that the drug-resistant strain has entered the Australian population.

“We haven’t confirmed any cases, but I suspect that there probably are patients up there who have contracted the disease, are not unwell and it’ll probably declare itself in the next couple of years or so,” he said.

“We are going to keep a very close watch on that.”

Managing tuberculosis is both complex and time-consuming.

Jubi Mapi is a PNG fisherman who was evacuated from the outer Torres Strait to Cairns nearly 12 months ago.

Mr Mapi has to take up to 16 pills a day to keep his drug-resistant tuberculosis under control and he is now expected to make a full recovery.

“When I arrived here I was so sick and I had no build, I was just like, you know, a stick or something when I came in here,” he said.

An aid package has been put together to help PNG manage its tuberculosis problem which the World Health Organisation has described as a crisis.

Last month, celebrations were held on Daru Island to mark the handing over of an ambulance boat and specialist tuberculosis equipment for the Daru hospital as part of an $8 million AusAID program.

PNG physician Rendi Moke says the country has the capacity to manage the tuberculosis cases by themselves.

“It is a very big step forward and it is a very big bonus for Daru hospital, the people of Western Province, and this will also build the confidence in our health system in the province,” he said.

But Dr Vincent is not so sure.

He says although the AusAID program is encouraging, he will be maintaining a watching brief.

“We do have concerns that there’s no Plan B – that’s our main worry at the moment there,” he said.

“We know that if any of those issues fall apart on the PNG side, then the whole TB program once again can fail.”

Topics: diseases-and-disorders, health-administration, international-aid-and-trade, torres-strait-islands, papua-new-guinea, qld

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-06-07/fears-drug-resistent-tuberculosis-will-spread-to-mainland/4059282?section=business

The problem is wookie. That there is no vaccination. It will be a good while if ever before such occurs.

roughbarked said:

The problem is wookie. That there is no vaccination. It will be a good while if ever before such occurs.

This IS wookie world though.

I remember being tested and given a TB vaccination in highschool…

Arts said:

I remember being tested and given a TB vaccination in highschool…

no, you were given a prick test and announced TB free at that moment in time.

Ripped off, we just got a scoliosis test.

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

I remember being tested and given a TB vaccination in highschool…

no, you were given a prick test and announced TB free at that moment in time.

pity it didn’t protect me against all the pricks I was to encounter…

;)

roughbarked said:

Arts said:

I remember being tested and given a TB vaccination in highschool…

no, you were given a prick test and announced TB free at that moment in time.

There was/is a TB vaccine, it has quite a few adverse reactions though, so is given to specific patient groups only.

as risk of infection in Aus is low.

http://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/factsheets.cfm?doc_id=7754

poikilotherm said:

as risk of infection in Aus is low.

Mycobacterium mutate easily(if that is the correct terminology). New strains develop easily. These strains are resisant to the drugs used and it all occurs mainly because the whole course of drugs is not taken or completed.

roughbarked said:

poikilotherm said:

as risk of infection in Aus is low.

Mycobacterium mutate easily(if that is the correct terminology). New strains develop easily. These strains are resisant to the drugs used and it all occurs mainly because the whole course of drugs is not taken or completed.

the risk of infection in Aus still remains low, regardless…

poikilotherm said:

roughbarked said:

poikilotherm said:

as risk of infection in Aus is low.

Mycobacterium mutate easily(if that is the correct terminology). New strains develop easily. These strains are resisant to the drugs used and it all occurs mainly because the whole course of drugs is not taken or completed.

the risk of infection in Aus still remains low, regardless…

Yes, though we are isolated and that we have a vaccination for bovine TB. We have pasteurised milk, etc. There are still variants and atypical types. As an example, anyone who has a lowered immune response can easily pick up Mycobacterium Avium Complex. I did and I’ve never left Australia nor co-habited with people who had TB.

people with TB are simply sailing in (they can slip past the “border security”) just recently someone has brought a relative by a small boat to australia to seek tretment

what will happen when large numbers of people do this to escape the disease

traditionally they will come here

Yeah but I watched that TB guy on YouTube.

In order to contract TB from another.. One need sto cohabit closely with that person in confined spaces for a good length of time. TB is not so easily spread as say a flu virus. TB requires larger droplets and longer contact.

Why is “tuber cul osis” always pronounced “Ta burke ya lo sis”?

bob(from black rock) said:

Why is “tuber cul osis” always pronounced “Ta burke ya lo sis”?

Made up of “tubercule” (pronounced tu- ber -cule) and “osis”.

long weekend of roller derby ! woo hoo.. the great southern slam is on in adelaide..teams from over Aust and NZ will be competing … should be huge :)

oops

Problem with BCG is that efficacy decreases with age such that for teenagers and older it’s pretty much as useless as tits on a bull.

>>no, you were given a prick test and announced TB free at that moment in time.<<

We were mostly vaccinated, after the initial test. Very few of us gave a positive Mantoux reaction. Early 1970s, Eastern suburbs of Melbourne.

And this was done in about Form 2, I think.

Q Health screens all new staff and students. I had a reaction that was big enough to not need BCGing. I suspect it was related to atopy rather than actual mycobacteria…

When I were lad at ascool I gave a positive to the TB test, I didn’t have it but had been in contact with someone eho had or something like that, it was a while ago afterall.

What we actually need is for people to complete treatment, even though that might be a year or longer.

Mr buffy didn’t get BCG’d at school as he reacted positive. His mother took in unwed mothers around their confinement time, and as a child he had had contact with one of them who was positive. (1960’s, girls needed to ‘disappear’ for a while sometimes)

OCDC said:

What we actually need is for people to complete treatment, even though that might be a year or longer.

Treatment is a shocker though? I read one account where a person would throw up just by looking at the drugs and anticipating the side effects.

Skunkworks said:

OCDC said:

What we actually need is for people to complete treatment, even though that might be a year or longer.

Treatment is a shocker though? I read one account where a person would throw up just by looking at the drugs and anticipating the side effects.

Yeah, nasty side effects and treatment takes yonks, and people with it don’t feel particularly sick and haven’t wasted away so don’t feel like they need to take lots of antis for long periods.

OCDC said:

Yeah, nasty side effects and treatment takes yonks, and people with it don’t feel particularly sick and haven’t wasted away so don’t feel like they need to take lots of antis for long periods.

As an aside in Gulf Smackdown the first where the troops were issued with syringes for treatment for chemical weapons, there were three syringes. The first was to treat the nerve agent, the second was the agent to treat the first injection which itself was toxic. The third was a sedative. Wouldnt save you but by administering it, it would stop your body flopping and jerking and less likely to upset your fellow travellers.

In a lot of the ye olde classic novels there is often a young heroine dying of consumption, the early name for TB.

Peak Warming Man said:

In a lot of the ye olde classic novels there is often a young heroine dying of consumption, the early name for TB.

And still today, in the Simpsons, the little urchins one of which has the consumptive cough.

Peak Warming Man said:

In a lot of the ye olde classic novels there is often a young heroine dying of consumption, the early name for TB.

And half the authors died from it too…

It’s still fairly common, esp in the migrant population. We probably had a new one every fortnight during my resp term. I think they all get screened (x-ray maybe) on arrival too.

I would expect it to be part of the health check.

wouldn’t be a bad idea vaccinating all migrants against TB

this way it stops the walk ins infecting the population