Kenya: isolation wards vital in the fight against TB

Five months after a specialised facility for multi-drug resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) patients was established at Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, the lack of isolation wards is raising concerns.

NAIROBI, 31 October 2008 (IRIN) -"This is not the best place; TB is a highly infectious disease,” Catherine Koskei, a matron working at the facility, told IRIN. “The patients need to be restricted.”

Patients make daily visits to the centre, a tent in an open field in the hospital grounds, where natural ventilation and ultra-violet rays help to neutralise the infected air, Koskei said.

However, isolating patients for the duration of the treatment could significantly control the spread and help manage the strain, according to Henderson Irimu, head of HIV/TB treatment care and the MDR-TB programme at the hospital. "We need to prioritise isolation facilities."

Resistance

MDR-TB occurs when patients develop resistance to Rifampicin and Isoniazid, the two most powerful anti-TB drugs. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, Kenya recorded at least 130,000 new TB cases in 2007, while Médecins sans Frontières estimates there are 250 MDR-TB cases.

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