The spectrum and prognosis of AIDS-defining illnesses in Cape Town

Objectives. To describe the incidence, spectrum and prognosis of AIDS-defining illnesses (ADI) in patients without access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Design. Prospective cohort study. Subjects. 1 215 HIV-infected patients attending adult HIV clinics affiliated to the University of Cape Town in the New Somerset and Groote Schuur Hospitals from 1992 to 2000. Main outcome measures. Incidence rate (IR) of ADIs and survival after the ..

The mass miniature chest radiography programme in Cape Town, South Africa, 1948 - 1994: The impact of active tuberculosis case finding

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) control programmes rely mainly on passive detection of symptomatic individuals. The resurgence of TB has rekindled interest in active case finding. Cape Town (South Africa) had a mass miniature radiography (MMR) screening programme from 1948 to 1994.Objective. To evaluate screening coverage, yield and secular trends in TB notifications during the MMR programme.Methods. We performed an ecological analysis of the MMR programme and TB notification data from the City of Cape Town Medical Officer of Health reports for 1948 - 1994.Results. Between 1948 and 1962, MMR screening increased to 12% of the population per annum with yields of 14 cases per 1 000 X-rays performed, accounting for >20% of total annual TB notifications. Concurrent with increasing coverage (1948 - 1965), TB case notification decreased in the most heavily TB-burdened non-European population from 844/100 000 population to 415/100 000. After 1966, coverage declined and TB notifications that initially remained stable (1967 - 1978) subsequently increased to 525/100 000. MMR yields remained low in the European population but declined rapidly in the non-European population after 1966, coincidental with forced removals from District 6. An inverse relationship between screening coverage and TB notification rates was observed in the non-European adult population. Similar secular trends occurred in infants and young children who were not part of the MMR screening programme.Conclusion. MMR of a high-burdened population may have significantly contributed to TB control and was temporally associated with decreased transmission to infants and children. These historical findings emphasise the importance of re-exploring targeted active case finding strategies as part of population TB control

The Hannan Crusaid Treatment Centre – early beginnings and lessons learnt

No Abstrac

Childhood tuberculosis infection and disease: A spatial and temporal transmission analysis in a South African township

Background. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in South Africa. While adult TB results from both recent and past infection, childhood TB results from recent infection and reflects ongoing transmission despite current TB control strategies.Setting. A South African community with high rates of TB and HIV disease.Outcomes. A Geographic Information System was used to spatially and temporally define the relationships between TB exposure, infection and disease in childre

The utility of pharmacy dispensing data for ART programme evaluation and early identification of patient loss to follow-up

No abstract Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine Vol. 9 (2) 2008: pp. 44-4