New dosage for TB patients introduced

Tanzanians suffering from tuberculosis (TB) now have fewer pills to swallow, thanks to a new treatment, which reduces the daily dosage of tablets from between 11 and 12 to three or four. "I have been on this new medication for a week now. It is still too early to say, but so far I am responding well. The pains I had when I coughed have now eased," said one TB patient, who preferred to be identified only as Fortunatus. James Kamala, a programme officer in charge of the health ministry's TB and leprosy unit, said on Wednesday that the government began dispensing the new medication in March in seven out of 21 regions in mainland Tanzania. "We hope to cover the whole country by the end of the year," he said from country's commercial capital, Dar es Salaam. Kamala said the new treatment, known as the four-drug, fixed-dose combination (4-drug FDC), is widely used in many countries on recommendation of the United Nations World Health Organization. The previous 11-12-tablet dosage, he said, was too heavy, especially for patients who were also taking other drugs, such as antiretrovirals for HIV/AIDS. Despite the dosage reduction, the TB treatment would remain effective, he said. "We also expect good compliance, and so far there is positive feedback from patients," he added. A survey in the regions using the new medication had recorded positive comments from patients, doctors and nurses. "Some have told us FDCs are easy to prescribe, dispense and even account for," he said. "The treatment chart is also easy to understand and follow, some of them are saying. TB patients who were interviewed reported that FDCs are good, particularly that there are few tablets to swallow daily, no cases of stomach upsets, and the pills are not bitter." Government statistics have shown the number of TB patients in the country to be growing at an alarming rate, from 39,000 in 1995 to at least 66,000 in 2004. HIV/AIDS is to blame for this trend, according to Health Minister David Mwakyusa. "Studies conducted by the ministry have shown that HIV/AIDS contributed to 60 percent of the increase of TB cases in the country," he said on 24 March, during World TB Day. Failure by some people to report the cases promptly had led to the spread of the disease, he added. "TB is just like any other disease, and even if you are HIV-positive it can be treated," he said.