‘Dramatic’ spike in TB cases overwhelms NYC Health Dept.

health

by mark laranilla

Years of budget cuts and understaffing have left the New York City Department of Health unable to contain a surge in local tuberculosis cases, according to a shocking new report.

“Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease,” Dr. Bruce Hirsch, an infectious disease specialist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, told the Post.

By 2023, there have been approximately 500 cases of tuberculosis in New York City.

According to “internal preliminary data”, this is an increase of about 20% compared to the same period last year. Politico reported2023 will be the worst year for tuberculosis infections in a decade.

“This is definitely a more dramatic resurgence than we expected,” said Elizabeth Lovinger of the Treatment Action Group, a public health advocacy group in New York City. She said, “When you see a particular spike in tuberculosis or other infectious diseases in New York City, that tends to be a kind of bellwether for the rest of the country.”

New York is the epicenter

Hirsch and other medical experts agree: “Everything in the world is coming to New York City.”

“When coronavirus started in the United States, it started in New York. It was an explosion,” Hirsch added, noting that a lack of housing and a declining public health infrastructure are some of the reasons for the resurgence of TB. .

“Everything is crowded; [health care] Shortage of manpower. The situation in public health clinics is even worse,” Hirsch said.

“The quality of health care for people in prison is often better than health care outside of prison,” he added. “Tuberculosis is sneaky, persistent, and well adapted to humans.”

New York City’s surge in tuberculosis cases comes as the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccine fatigue hamper efforts to diagnose and treat cases, and more than 100,000 immigrants have arrived in New York City since spring 2022. This is partly due to the rapid increase in the number of infected people. Risk of developing active tuberculosis infection.

Meanwhile, tuberculosis cases have recently been reported in Olathe, Kansas, and Brockton, Massachusetts. last month, United Nations holds high-level meeting Discuss strategies to control the global spread of the disease.

Despite the concerning new data, New York City Department of Health spokesperson Patrick Gallahue told the Post that “the city remains a leader in tuberculosis treatment.”

New York City is horribly unprepared

During the COVID-19 pandemic emergency, cases of influenza, tuberculosis, and other infectious diseases declined as public health efforts forced people to wear masks and isolate themselves at home.

“During the pandemic… COVID-19 prevention efforts have reduced tuberculosis cases.” Dr. Carlos Franco Paredes, associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said: wrote in The Conversation.

“However, tuberculosis numbers quickly returned to pre-pandemic levels, marking the first time in decades that cases and deaths worldwide have increased.”

And New York City is woefully unprepared for the tuberculosis epidemic.

Officials with the New York City Department of Health’s Office of Tuberculosis Control, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to comment on the matter, said wait times for tests and treatment at three tuberculosis clinics in the city can be up to a week. It is said that it is normal for it to take a while.

And the longer an infected person waits for treatment, the harder it is to treat the disease and the more likely it is that the infection will spread to others.

Manhattan tuberculosis clinic closes

The Washington Heights tuberculosis clinic is one of only four New York City-run clinics offering free tuberculosis testing and treatment, and the only tuberculosis clinic in Manhattan, recently renovated. It was closed due to.

The Washington Heights clinic was closed to tuberculosis patients because it needed to help respond to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Gallahue said it may be renovated or upgraded at some point in the future.

“We have been pioneering treatments and therapies in New York City,” he told the Post. “We also launched a new Latent Tuberculosis Support Campaign to increase screening, diagnosis, and treatment for at-risk New Yorkers.

“Additionally, we have contracts worth up to $500,000 with local health care providers to ensure that New Yorkers have access to care, and if there is someone in need of our services. “This is to ensure that we have additional capacity to respond in advance,” Gallahue added.

Immigrants, vaccine fatigue worsens problem

But the challenge of finding housing for newly arrived migrants is exacerbating the problem.

Immigrants are at increased risk of developing tuberculosis infection. This is because they are often located in crowded, poorly ventilated environments where the tubercle bacillus spreads easily.

“Tuberculosis has not been able to design a better environment to maximize its spread,” Hirsch said. “It’s very unfortunate.”

And experts say the situation will only get worse as the weather gets colder and people flock indoors, facilitating the spread of tuberculosis, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory diseases such as COVID-19. I am concerned that this may happen.

What’s more, vaccine hesitancy and years of “coronavirus fatigue” could overwhelm health care facilities, making the upcoming virus season particularly severe.

symptoms of tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a respiratory disease caused by bacteria that is spread through droplets in the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes, talks or sings. According to the Mayo Clinic.

Symptoms of tuberculosis start mild and worsen over time. These include a cough (or cough of blood or mucus), chest pain, fever, chills, night sweats, and weight loss.

If caught early, it can usually be treated with medication. Some infections may require consistent drug treatment over several months. However, if left untreated, tuberculosis can be fatal and causes approximately 1.5 million deaths each year.

Alarmingly, some strains of the tuberculosis bacterium (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) have developed resistance to many drugs, making this deadly disease almost incurable.

The city’s problems with tuberculosis testing and treatment are widespread, with a shortage of doctors, X-ray technicians, case managers and public health professionals. The remaining staff are burdened with a heavy workload due to the months of urgent treatment that tuberculosis patients require.

But many of the problems we currently face with tuberculosis could have been avoided. “We have experience in stemming the rise in tuberculosis since the 1990s, following the HIV explosion in New York City,” Hirsch said, noting that tuberculosis is a common disease. Transmission between patients with HIV/AIDS.

“Our public health infrastructure was dial-up connected. The recipes are pretty well established,” Hirsch said. “Prompt treatment, including a chest X-ray, is required.

“What we’re seeing right now is kind of heartbreaking,” Hirsch said, adding, “I hope things get better before they get any worse.”