Name: “Dramatic” increase in TB cases is overwhelming New York’s health department. - USTimeToday
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“Dramatic” increase in TB cases is overwhelming New York’s health department. - USTimeToday

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Years of budget cuts and staffing shortages have left New York City’s Health Department too cornered to contain a sharp rise in local tuberculosis cases, a bombshell new report says.Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, and there have been approximately 500 active cases of tuberculosis in New York so far in 2023.According to “internal preliminary data”, this is an increase of around 20% compared to the same period last year. reported by PoliticoThis makes 2023 the worst year for tuberculosis infections in a decade.“This is definitely a more dramatic resurgence than we probably expected,” said Elizabeth Lovinger of the Treatment Action Group, a public health advocacy group in New York. “When New York City sees particularly high increases in tuberculosis and other infectious diseases, that tends to be an indicator for the rest of the country.”The rise in New York cases has also been attributed in part to the COVID-19 pandemic – and vaccine fatigue – hampering efforts to diagnose and treat cases, as well as the arrival of over 100,000 migrants in the city since spring 2022, the are at increased risk of developing active tuberculosis infections.Meanwhile, tuberculosis cases were recently reported in Olathe, Kansas, and Brockton, Massachusetts. Last month, the The United Nations held a high-level meeting to discuss strategies to control the global spread of the disease.Despite the troubling new data, New York City Department of Health spokesman Patrick Gallahue told The Post, “This city is a leader in tuberculosis care.”Cases of flu, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases declined during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency as public health efforts kept people masked or isolated at home.“During the pandemic…COVID-19 prevention efforts have reduced tuberculosis cases.” Dr. Carlos Franco-Paredes, associate professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, wrote in The Conversation.“But tuberculosis numbers have quickly risen back to pre-pandemic levels, marking the first time cases and deaths have risen globally in decades,” he added.And New York City is completely unprepared for a widespread tuberculosis outbreak.Long waits of up to a week for testing and treatment are the norm at the city’s three tuberculosis clinics, according to officials at the New York City Department of Health’s Bureau of Tuberculosis Control, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to comment on the issue.And the longer an infected person waits for treatment, the harder the disease is to treat — and the more likely the infection is to spread to others.A tuberculosis clinic in Washington Heights — one of four NYC-run clinics that offer free testing and treatment for tuberculosis and the only tuberculosis clinic in Manhattan — recently closed for renovations.The Washington Heights clinic was closed to tuberculosis patients because it was needed to help fight COVID-19. Gallahue said it could be renovated or upgraded at some point in the future.“We pioneered treatments and therapies in New York City,” he told The Post. “We have also launched a new outreach campaign for latent tuberculosis infection providers to improve screening, diagnosis and treatment among at-risk New Yorkers.“In addition, we have a contract with a local provider worth up to $500,000 to ensure New Yorkers are covered and we have additional capacity should anyone need services,” Gallahue added.However, the problem has been compounded by the challenge of finding accommodation for newly arrived migrants.Migrants are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis infection because they often spend time in crowded, poorly ventilated environments where the disease spreads easily.And experts fear the situation could worsen as the weather turns colder and people crowd indoors, contributing to the spread of tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases such as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19.Additionally, vaccine hesitancy and years of “COVID fatigue” could make the upcoming virus season even worse by overwhelming health care facilities.Tuberculosis is a respiratory disease caused by a bacteria that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or sings. according to the Mayo Clinic.TB symptoms, which may start mildly and then worsen over time, include cough (including coughing up blood), chest pain, fever, chills, night sweats, and weight loss.If detected early, the disease can usually be treated with medication; For some infections, consistent drug treatment lasting several months may be necessary. However, if left untreated, tuberculosis can be fatal – around 1.5 million people die from it every year.Worryingly, some strains of the tuberculosis bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) have developed drug resistance, making the deadly disease incurable.The city’s problems with tuberculosis screening and treatment are extensive: staffing shortages affect doctors, x-ray technicians, case managers and public health experts. The remaining staff have a high workload due to the time-consuming and months-long treatment of tuberculosis cases.“We’re all constantly triaging,” said a New York Department of Health official.

Years of budget cuts and staffing shortages have left New York City’s Health Department too cornered to contain a sharp rise in local tuberculosis cases, a bombshell new report says.Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, and there have been approximately 500 active cases of tuberculosis in New York so far in 2023.According to “internal preliminary data”, this is an increase of around 20% compared to the same period last year. reported by PoliticoThis makes 2023 the worst year for tuberculosis infections in a decade.“This is definitely a more dramatic resurgence than we...

“Dramatic” increase in TB cases is overwhelming New York’s health department. - USTimeToday

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