The audio is in isiZulu, see english summary below.

MABUTHO: Ngokochwepheshe kwezempilo, ukungabandakanywa kwalabo abaguliswa isifo sofuba ezinhlelweni zokufundisa ngalesisifo kungaba nomthelela ekubhebhethekeni kwesifo sofuba esiyingozi i MDR TB. Lesisitatimende sifika esikhathini lapho lesisifo sofuba esiyingozi esidalwa ukungalandelwa kwemigomo yokudliwa kwamaphilisa ngendlela efanelekile sibhebhetheka ngesivinini kuleli kanye nakwamanye amazwe asathuthuka. UDr Kgosi Letlape ongumongameli wenhlangano yodokotela kuleli iSouth African Medical Association (SAMA), uthi isibonelo esihle sokubaluleka kokufundiswa kweziguli, yilabo abaphila negciwane lesandulelangculaza athi banolwazi olunzulu ngegciwane, amakhambi okumele bawadle kanye nendlela yokuziphatha ukuvimbela ukubhebhetheka kwegciwane. Uthi ngezinye izikhathi ulwazi lwabo ludlula ngisho olodokotela imbala, kepha uthi laba abaguliswa isifo sofuba bona banolwazi oluncance ngokugula kwabo.

DR KGOSI LETLAPE: HIV/AIDS patients sometimes know more than their physicians, but when you look at diseases like TB and other diseases like hyper-tension, people don’€™t know much about their illnesses.

MABUTHO: Lesisiphakamiso sika Letlape kanye nabanye ongoti bezempilo sifika esikhathini lapho isifo sofuba esiyingozi iMDR TB silokhu siqhubeke njalo nokubhebhetheka. UDr Letlape uthi labo abaguliswa isifo sofuba kuzofanele ukuthi banikezwe zonke izinto ezizobasiza ukuthi baqonde kabanzi ngokugula kwabo kanye nendlela okumele badle ngayo amaphilisi kumbe amakhambi okulwisana nalokhukugula kuze kufike isikhathi lapho beba ngcono khona.

DR KGOSI LETLAPE: We need to make materials available to them, inform them more so that they become knowledgeable, so that they understand the need for continous therapy up until your provider says ‘€œyes it is safe now to stop treatment’€.

MABUTHO: Udokotela Obed Njeka oyinhloko yophiko olubhekene nokulwisana nesifo sofuba esiyingozi esifundazweni saseLimpompo uthi ukungalawuleki kwesifo sofuba esiyingozi kudalwa ukungalandelwa kwemigudu efanele yiziguli, uthi lokhu kugqame kakhulu ezindaweni lapho iziguli zingafundiswa khona ngokubaluleka kokulandela imigudu yokudla amaphilisi.

DR OBED NDJEKA: The main problem with the management of MDR TB and TB is patients’€™ adherence to treatment. And it’€™s obvious that where there is lower adherence, health education is not well done.

MABUTHO: Uthi bekumele lowo nalowo msebenzi wezempilo azibambele mathupha ngokuthi afundise leso naleso siguli asebenza ngaso ngokubaluleka kokulandelwa kwemigudu yokudliwa kwamaphilisi kumbe amakhambi.

DR OBED NDJEKA: We need to take it upon ourselves. Each and every health professional should take it upon himself or herself  to begin to give more attention to that area of patient education.

MABUTHO: Khonamanjalo oyisikhulu esiphezulu enkampanini ekhiqiza amakhambi iLilly Phamarceutical Company ezinze kwelaseGeneva, nenamaziko emazweni ahlukene, uPatricia Calivaro naye ukhala esifanayo ngokubaluleka kokufundiswa kweziguli ukulwisana nokubhebhetheka kwesifo sofuba esiyingozi. Uthi isifo sofuba siyalapheka inqobo nje uma abantu bezofundiswa ukuthi badle amaphilisi ngendlela efanele futhi balandele imigomo ebekiwe, kuthi uma ebagulisa balandele imigomo bangayeki ukuwadla kuze kube ukugula kuyaphela egazini.

PATRICIA CALIVARO: We have not done enough to educate patients about the disease. It can be cured but you have to follow certain vigorous protocol. So you have to follow your health care provider, ensure that you take the drugs every day as prescribed. And if you have side-effects, go back so that you can manage side-effects. If you feel better, don’€™t stop because you’€™re still infected. It can still come back.

MABUTHO: Njengoba sekutholakele ukuthi ububha kanye nendlela kunomthelela omkhulu ekubhebhethekeni kwesifo sofuba emhlabeni, uCalivaro uthi kubalulekile ukuthi amazwe omhlaba afake imali eningi emnyangweni yezempilo kanye nasezinhlelweni zokulwisana nobubha nendlala ukuze kuzolwisana nalesisifo.

PATRICIA CALIVARO: We need to do more to ensure that investments in health are increasing, but you need as well  economic investment because you need to bring these people out of poverty.

MABUTHO: Ngokwenhlangano ekhiqiza amakhambi iLilly Pharmaceuticals nephume umkhankankaso wokulwisana nalesisifo emazweni ehlukene omhlaba, minyaka yonke kufa abantu abazigidi ezimbili emhlabeni ngenxa yalesisifo. Kanti ukwehluleka kwabaguliswa ilesisifo ukudla amaphilisi ngendlela   ikakhulukazi emazweni asathuthuka emhlabeni kugcina kuholela kwisifo sofuba esiyingozi i MDR ‘€“ TB. Ngokombiko wayo lenhlangano minyaka yonke abantu abalinganiselwa kuhhafu wesigidi bangenwa isifo sofuba esiyingozi MDR ‘€“ TB kanti okuyiwona mazwe lapho lokhu kufa kumandla kakhulu kuseChina, India, Russia kanye naseNingizimu Africa.

ENGLISH SUMMARY

Educate TB patients -experts

Medical experts say that lack of education about TB among patients is contributing to the development of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis  (MDR TB).

The statement comes at a time when South Africa and other developing nations are battling to respond to Multi-Drug Resistant or MDR TB, caused by poor adherence to the drug and interrupted TB treatment.

According to the president of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), Dr Kgosi Letlape, patient education can play a meaningful role in the fight against the spread of the MDR TB. Making comparisons with those who have HIV or AIDS, he said TB patients must learn and be taught how to be responsible. He said, HIV-positive have enormous knowledge about their illness, treatment and how they must behave to stop the spread of the virus.

‘€œHIV/AIDS patients sometimes know more than their physicians, but when you look at diseases like TB and other diseases like hyper-tension, people don’€™t know much about their illnesses,’€ he said.

‘€œWe need to make materials available to them (TB patients), give them more information so that they become knowledgeable, so that they understand the need for continuous therapy up until the provider says ‘€˜yes it is safe now to stop treatment’€™,’€ he emphasized.

The head of the TB programme in Limpopo province, Dr Obed Ndjeka, agrees that lack of patient education is cause of concern. However, he believes that medical practitioners should take it upon themselves to intervene. ‘€œEach and every health professional should take upon himself or herself to begin to give more attention to that area of patient education,’€ Ndjeka said.

Patricia Calivaro, the head of Geneva-based Lilly Pharmaceuticals company, says the world has not done much to educate patients. ‘€œWe have not done enough to educate patients about the disease. It can be cured but you have to follow certain vigorous protocol. So you (patients) have to follow your health-care provider, ensure that you take the drugs every day as prescribed. And if you have side-effects, go back so that you can manage the side-effects. If you feel better, don’€™t stop because you’€™re still infected. It can still come back,’€ she said.

She also warned that the fight against MDR TB will not yield results if governments fail to put more money into their health departments and in socio-economic activities in order ‘€œto bring these people (TB patients) out of poverty.’€

According to Lilly Pharmaceuticals company, every year, about 2 million people die from tuberculosis, a curable disease. Poor adherence to the drug regimen and treatment interruption, not only fails to cure the illness, but often results in multi-drug resistant strains, which require especially lengthy and complex treatment. There are an estimated 400,000 new cases of MDR TB around the world every year. Some of the hardest-hit countries are China, India, Russia and South Africa.