Open AccessTuberculosis in the mines of Zambia: A case for intervention
Author(s) -
Pascalina ChandaKapata,
Doris Osei-Afriyie,
Connrad Mwansa,
Nathan Kapata
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
asian pacific journal of tropical biomedicine/asian pacific journal of tropical biomedicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.507
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 2588-9222
pISSN - 2221-1691
DOI - 10.1016/j.apjtb.2016.06.015
Subject(s) - medicine , tuberculosis , environmental health , psychological intervention , grey literature , cochrane library , population , public health , developing country , medline , gross domestic product , meta analysis , economic growth , pathology , nursing , political science , law , economics
Zambia is among the sub-Saharan countries highly burdened with tuberculosis (TB) and has an estimated prevalence rate of 638 per 1 population in those aged 15 years and above. The mining industry is the main contributor to the country's gross national product, although it is associated with public health challenges, with TB in the mines being among the occupational health diseases having a negative economic impact and threatening to delay the control of TB in the country. We reviewed available evidence on the extent of the burden of TB in the mines so as to inform the development of targeted interventions for the post-2015 End TB Strategy. This was a review of published data from Medline/Pubmed, Cochrane Library and Embase, including unpublished “grey” literature on the burden of TB and the risk factors of TB in the mines of Zambia. There is limited research in Zambia to fully understand the burden of TB and risk factors associated with TB in the mines. However, the few studies and data available have shown that TB is a significant health problem requiring interventions to improve the quality of life of miners, ex-miners and surrounding communities. TB is a potential problem in the mines of Zambia and the actual burden needs to be determined. Exposure to silica as a risk factor needs further investigation