http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,2854338a7144,00.html

 Low income and overcrowding cited as reasons for TB rise

 24 March 2004

 Low income, crowded housing and unnecessary fear of tuberculosis
 have been cited as reasons for the increase in cases of the disease
 among Pacific islanders in Auckland.
 Statistics released yesterday to coincide with World TB Day today show
that there were a
 total of 243 active cases notified in Auckland last year.
 The figure was the highest in the region going back at least 10 years.
 The Auckland District Health Board said available data suggested that the
increase had
 occurred among two groups - recent migrants and Pacific Islanders.
 In cases involving people from a Pacific Island background, half had been
exposed to
 someone in New Zealand with TB, usually a household member.
 Massey University researcher Dr Ate Moala said today that TB was well
controlled in the
 islands.
 She said the situation in Auckland had to be seen against broader issues
like low
 income, overcrowding and general lack of knowledge about the illness.
 "It's poverty related, it's overcrowding, it's not how Pacific people
choose to live," she
 said.
 "It's about the wider socio-economic determinants of health."
 Dr Moala said fear of the disease among older people was also a factor,
even though TB
 was normally treatable.
 "Treatment was not available in the past and there was a stigma that was
attached to
 TB," she said.
 "People were scared of seeing loved ones isolated and dying without cause.
Those
 memories carry on in Pacific families."
 She said an effective partnership was needed between health service
providers and
 Pacific Island communities to get TB sufferers to come forward and get
help early.
 Auckland medical officer of health Dr Craig Thornley said the overall
statistics for the
 region had been climbing steadily since 2000.
 A worrying trend was the rise in the number of people who had contracted
the disease in
 New Zealand, usually from a person in their own household.
 "Many of these cases occurred in young people," he said.
 "In 2003 there were over 40 cases of tuberculosis in children under 15 in
Auckland,
 more than twice the number we would normally expect."
 Dr Thornley said people who showed signs of the disease should get medical
help
 immediately.
 Symptoms included having a cough for longer than two weeks, weight loss
and night
 sweats.

-------------------
Problems/Questions? Send it to Listserv owner: [log in to unmask]

To post a message to all 1020 subscribers, send it to [log in to unmask]
Include in the Subject, its content, location and date, if relevant.

To unsubscribe, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SIGNOFF SDOH

For a list of SDOH members, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
REV SDOH

To receive messages only once a day, send the following message to [log in to unmask]
SET SDOH DIGEST

To view the SDOH archives, go to: http://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html