TB well contained in the Czech Republic despite sporadic outbreaks

Recent outbreaks of tuberculosis in the North-Bohemian towns of Chabarovice and Dolni Poustevna, which resulted in the death of one 52-year-old man, have caused some alarm among the local population. Against a background of regular reports from the former Soviet Union that the illness is on the increase there, there are fears that this disease, which many thought was no longer a threat, is making a bit of a comeback. We take a closer look at the measures in place for tackling TB in the Czech Republic.

TB well contained in the Czech Republic despite sporadic outbreaks

Tuberculosis or TB was once one of the most feared illnesses around the world and has been known to man since the time of Hippocrates. Even as recently as 1958, it was thought to account for one-eighth of all human deaths. Nevertheless, in the developed world, the incidence of TB has been steadily decreasing for decades.

However, the disease has still not been completely eradicated. In the Czech Republic, two recent outbreaks of the illness in North Bohemia, which resulted in one death, have highlighted this fact.

Professor Jiri Homolka, a leading lung specialist at Charles University's General Medical Hospital in Prague, says that sporadic outbreaks of the disease can still occur despite the progress that has been made in recent decades:

"You cannot exclude an outbreak of TB if you have a source of TB, which has not been isolated and cured... I think it's an accident that can happen again in the future."

The man who died had been unemployed and getting by on social welfare payments. People like this, who are living in straitened circumstances, are at greater risk of contracting the disease. In this country, the homeless and immigrants from the East are particularly at risk. I asked Professor Homolka if there were any targeted screening programmes for these groups:

"Yes, we have a special screening programme for homeless people and immigrants. We already have data from the year 2001 - 2002, and the percentage of people not born in the Czech Republic with newly acquired TB was about 14 % and now it's about 12 %, so it's not a high number but it's a matter of concern. We also have a special programme for homeless people, which is implemented by taking an X-ray machine on a bus and screening people on the street."

Professor Homolka also pointed out that other groups such as prisoners and people with diseases like diabetes also had a higher susceptibility to tuberculosis.

In general, however, the disease appears to be quite well contained here. According to the Human Development Report for 2001, 7 cases of TB were recorded per 100,000 people in the Czech Republic, which seems relatively low in comparison with many other countries. Professor Homolka agrees:

"I think TB is quite well controlled here: we have a special TB unit and we have a special register for TB cases. That's probably why the situation has been steadily improving in the last three years. We have to maintain these measures, and I think this should be enough."