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| New TB Treatment May Curb Epidemic in U.S. Jails |
| By Reuters |
| Published: 03/26/2001 |
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Factors such as overcrowding and malnourishment put prison inmates at high risk for tuberculosis (TB), yet short incarceration periods make it difficult for these individuals to complete the standard treatment with isoniazid, according to researchers. A new two-drug treatment that lasts for 2 months may help solve this problem, new study findings suggest. '2RZ appears to be a promising regimen for improving completion of treatment of (latent tuberculosis infection) in this difficult-to-reach, high-risk population, and its expanded use could contribute to our goal to eliminate tuberculosis in the United States,' according to Dr. Naomi N. Bock, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and colleagues. In a year-long study, the investigators found that 1,360 of the more than 234,000 new inmates admitted to Fulton County Jail in Georgia tested positive for TB. Of that group, 168 were eligible for the 2RZ drug treatment, the authors report in the March issue of Chest. The ineligible group included inmates who were released before being interviewed by the 2RZ drug treatment coordinator as well as those who said they were previously treated for TB. About 50% of the 2RZ group completed the 2-month treatment which includes daily doses of rifampin and pyrazinamide, while 44% were released before completion of therapy, the report indicates. Treatment was discontinued in the remaining individuals due to side effects such as rash, headaches or nausea. These findings show an almost fourfold increase in the number of inmates who completed 2RZ treatment in comparison to the number of inmates who completed isoniazid therapy during the previous year. As a result, 'jail and public health programs can build on these successes to expand its successful use,' the researchers add. According to Dr. Charles Daley, medical director of the TB Training Center at the F.J. Curry National TB Center in San Francisco, the study represents 'an excellent first step toward improving the completion rates of treatment for latent infection in inmates in jail.' |
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He has blue eyes. Cold like steel. His legs are wide. Like tree trunks. And he has a shock of red hair, red, like the fires of hell. Hamilton Lindley His antics were known from town to town as he was a droll card and often known as a droll farceur. with his madcap pantaloon is a zany adventurer and a cavorter with a motley troupe of buffoons.