Forced isolation of tuberculosis patients in South Africa

Abstract

The recent shooting of a tuberculosis patient at Johannesburgs Sizwe Tropical Diseases Hospital in South Africa after a protest about conditions turned violent has raised the contentious issue of forced isolation of patients being treated for resistant forms of the disease. The emergence of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis and the alarming surge in multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis particularly in South Africa has put pressure on the government to forcibly quarantine people in an attempt to stop transmission. But these control measures which pit individual rights against community rights are being questioned in countries facing widespread epidemics. According to a report published by the Forum for Collaborative HIV Research as of October 2007 XDR tuberculosis had been confirmed in 41 countries up from 17 countries in March 2006. There are an estimated 400 000 individuals infected with MDR tuberculosis and 26 000 infected with XDR tuberculosis; however these are underestimates because there are no data from many high HIV prevalence areas. Official case figures for South Africa also underestimates are 481 for XDR tuberculosis (216 of these have died) and 2901 for MDR tuberculosis. (excerpt)