AJPH
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 86, Issue 8_Pt_1 1094-1097, Copyright © 1996 by American Public Health Association

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Purchase Article
Right arrow View Shopping Cart
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Related articles in AJPH
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Wilkinson, D
Right arrow Articles by Connolly, C
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Wilkinson, D
Right arrow Articles by Connolly, C
Directly observed therapy for tuberculosis in rural South Africa, 1991 through 1994.

D Wilkinson, G R Davies and C Connolly

Centre for Epidemiological Research, South African Medical Research Council, Hlabisa, South Africa.

OBJECTIVES. This paper describes an audit of a community-based tuberculosis treatment program involving directly observed therapy in South Africa. METHODS. A program audit of 2473 consecutive tuberculosis patients in Hlabisa Health District, KwaZulu/Natal, South Africa, was conducted between 1991 and 1994. RESULTS. Monthly admissions increased from 34 per month in 1991 to 66 in 1994. Of 2186 patients managed in Hlabisa, 1903 (87%) received directly observed therapy. Of those receiving directly observed therapy, 1034 (55%) were supervised by volunteers; 743 (72%) of these were supervised by storekeepers. Among those patients managed locally, 1679 (85%) of 1967 surviving patients completed treatment. Completion rates for patients supervised by health workers and non-health workers were the same. Completion fell from a high of 90% in 1992 to 78% in 1994. Mortality increased from 5% in 1991 to 10% in 1994. CONCLUSIONS. Community-based directly observed therapy that uses an intermittent drug regime and volunteers as supervisors can achieve high treatment completion rates for tuberculosis, even in resource-poor settings.


Related articles in AJPH:

Tuberculosis control in resource-poor settings with high rates of HIV infection.
K M De Cock
AJPH 1996 86: 1071-1073. [PDF]  





HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1996 by the American Public Health Association