* Drug-resistant strains spreading in miners
* HIV/AIDS infection adds to the risks
* TB spreading from mines to other parts of Africa
By Cosmas Butunyi
JOHANNESBURG, April 5 (Reuters) – South Africa is shifting
its lines in the battle against tuberculosis to mines, where
lung-attacking dust, crowded working conditions and a
pan-African workforce make the industry a focal point for
spreading the disease.
Drug resistant TB strains, associated with cramped urban
conditions, are spreading among miners, who have infection rates
about three times higher than the general population, according
to South African officials.
The disease is further spread when foreign-born miners –
tens of thousands from Lesotho, Swaziland and other neighbouring
countries work in South Africa’s mines – return to their homes.
South Africa has tied TB treatment and prevention with
anti-HIV/AIDS campaigns and brought new equipment and medicine
to clinics and hospitals.
“Mine-associated TB is the tip of the spear. Addressing this
issue could transform the continental response to TB,” Joel
Spicer, a senior strategist at the Stop TB Partnership, told
reporters at a seminar in Johannesburg last month.
Continued…
