Study finds that 42% of the patients who were discharged from hospital with incurable, extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB are still infectious PATIENTS with incurable and highly infectious tuberculosis (TB) were being routinely discharged from hospital to die at home, putting friends, family and people in their community at risk of catching the disease, according to a South African study published in the Lancet on Friday.The study had found that 42% of the patients who were discharged from hospital with incurable, extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB were still infectious.The study throws out a direct challenge to the Department of Health, which largely leaves the responsibility for containing XDR-TB to the patients themselves, many of whom came from poor communities.It also highlighted the desperate need for new treatments.Almost half-a-million TB patients are treated each year in South Africa: about 8,000 of them have multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB, and between 500 and 1,000 of them...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.