The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7494 p329
22 March 2008

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Raise awareness of tuberculosis

Raising awareness of tuberculosis and referring symptomatic patients to TB services should be part of every community pharmacist’s work in high burden countries, according to Ivan Kotzé, president of the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association.

Speaking ahead of World TB Day on 24 March, Mr Kotzé said that private pharmacies continue to be a neglected resource in many countries.

“While significant progress has been made by national tuberculosis plans through commitment to the Global Plan to Stop TB, we have a long way to go before meeting millennium development goals,” Mr Kotzé stated.

“Greater collaboration between public and private healthcare sectors is essential in ensuring all patients gain access to DOTS [directly observed therapy, short course] services,” he said.

He pointed out that delays between diagnosis and treatment, and difficulties in accessing healthcare systems may have contributed to increased opportunities for transmission, with major implications for public health. “Pharmacies are easily accessible centres for reliable and relevant TB information, treatment and advice,” Mr Kotzé continued.

He added that training pharmacists as DOTS providers could help ensure successful treatment outcomes for patients in many developing countries who access treatment outside public sector facilities. “This strategy would help consolidate the gains already made in TB prevention and control and expand services still desperately needed in high burden countries,” said Mr Kotzé.

Hemant Patel, President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, gave his support to the CPA campaign. He said: “Adequate TB services must be in place to treat members of the public in the event of infection — a threat which is on the increase globally as a consequence of migrating populations. In the UK alone there were almost 8,500 cases of TB reported in 2006.

“We know that TB is curable and the key to this lies in early diagnosis and treatment. Community pharmacists are well placed to contribute in this area and should be aware of the potential threat.”