Health warning : Oxford is worst hit in county

10:00am Saturday 14th January 2012 in Oxford By Amanda Williams

THE number of people with the potentially fatal tuberculosis is on the rise in Oxfordshire, new figures have revealed.

And people in Oxford city are more likely to get the disease, which reached epidemic proportions in Victorian England, than anywhere else in the county.

In 1991 Oxfordshire recorded about just 25 to 30 cases of tuberculosis (TB).

Last year that had risen to 61, up from 55 cases the previous year.

TB is a bacterial infection which mainly affects the lungs.

Nationally, there are 14 cases of TB per 100,000 of the population.

In Oxford city, the incidence rate is more than 21 per 100,000.

it is spread through inhaling droplets of saliva from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.

Health chiefs have attributed the rise over the past 20 years to the increase of non-immunised immigrants coming from Asian and African countries where the disease is far more common, and settling in parts of Oxford and Banbury.

According to the county’s public health report, over the past four years the number of cases has been highest in Oxford City and Cherwell District Council.

but county health chief Jonathan McWilliam played the rise in cases down and said: “The county average rate for new cases is consistently lower than the UK rate.

“This is a good achievement.”

TB was the biggest killer in the UK in the 19th century when about one in four deaths were from TB, or consumption as it was then known.

Thanks to a concerted immunisation programme, the number of cases nationally dropped to just 5,500 in 1987. however, last year there were 9,040 infections across the country.

The Health Protection Agency said the disease is mainly occurring among overseas immigrants, from places such as West Africa, Nigeria, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Russia and China.

NHS Oxfordshire, the county’s primary care trust, said it had a comprehensive service for TB patients which was based at the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

an NHS Oxfordshire spokesman said: “The incidence rate of TB in Oxfordshire is 9.5 per 100,000 of the population.

“This is consistently lower than the UK rate which is 13.6.

“Patients are assessed by TB consultants and supported by a team of community TB nurses. Treatment lasts approximately six months.

“This service has succeeded in achieving a high completion rate of 94.5 per cent which is well above the national standard of 85 per cent.”

what is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling droplets of saliva from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.

TB mainly affects the lungs. however, the infection can spread to many parts of the body, including the bones and nervous system.

Symptoms include a persistent cough, blood in sputum, weight loss and night sweats. it can kill if left untreated with antibiotics.

A student at Patrick Henry High School has been diagnosed with tuberculosis and may have exposed other pupils, staff and faculty to the disease, the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

The county and San Diego Unified School District are working together to notify those who have been in close contact with the student since the beginning of the academic year in September.

“TB testing will be provided for the school on Jan. 11,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county public health officer. “Testing is important for those who are at risk, in order to identify individuals with early infection before they become ill with TB. The good news is that TB can be treated and cured with medication.”

Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. most people who are exposed to TB do not develop the disease, as prolonged close contact is needed to pass it to others.

This is the 190th case of TB in San Diego County so far this year. there were 229 cases reported in 2009.

Tags: Dr. Wilma Wooten, Patrick Henry High School, San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency, san diego unified school district, SWRNN, tuberculosis

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Living in Alachua County, we are more than 40 percent more likely to die of diabetes than residents in the rest of Florida. the odds are worse if we’re African American. between 2006 and 2008, the age-adjusted death rate from diabetes was 155 percent higher for black residents than for white residents.

Those figures are part of the 2010 Alachua County Health Needs Assessment. And the no. 1 factor behind the numbers? Obesity.

A report last week from the UnitedHealth Center for Health Reform & Modernization states than more than half of all Americans will have diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020.

The health care costs of the diabetes epidemic could reach $3.35 trillion if current trends continue, the report warns.

We are growing fatter, and with obesity comes a phalanx of chronic health problems, including Type 2, or noninsulin-dependent diabetes.

The average health care costs in 2009 for a person with known diabetes totaled $11,700, compared to an average of $4,400 for the remainder of the population, United HealthCare reports.

Fortunately, diabetes is also one of those problems for which there is a solution. while there’s no cure, diabetes can be managed. Early screening helps. Healthier diets and more physical exercise are the two keys to controlling its potential health impacts, which are many and serious: heart attack, stroke, blindness, amputations and kidney failure.

Diabetes educators point out that there are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is an autoimmune disorder, genetically linked, in which the body attacks itself and destroys the cells in the pancreas that make insulin. People with this condition are usually diagnosed young and must receive insulin to live.

Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, is reaching near-epidemic proportions. Obesity is a major risk factor, and those with it have trouble putting insulin to use in the body to metabolize dietary sugars. Type 2 diabetics face more complications, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and stroke.

Common symptoms include frequent urination, excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss or gain, increased fatigue, irritability, blurred vision and frequent infections.

With this type of diabetes, experts’ advice is simple: move more. Eat less.

However, as Diane Dimperio of the Alachua County Health Department points out, it isn’t always easy to follow that advice. Food temptation is everywhere, especially over the holidays. You may feel too rushed to fit regular exercise into your daily schedule. You may be the only one in the family cutting back on sweets and sodas.

There are local programs that can help, Dimperio said.

At the Alachua County Health Department, primary care specialists assist with medical management of your disease. There is also an enhanced program for diabetes management headed by an exercise physiologist for diabetics who come through the clinic. for some, the program provides free glucose testing strips.

“We are starting to acquire data to measure the success of this program,” Dimperio said, “but on a case-by-case basis, I can say we’ve seen a huge improvement.

Then there’s the CHOICES health education and wellness program, which offers exercise and nutrition classes in a group setting.

Participants don’t have to be enrolled in CHOICES to participate and classes are held “all over the county,” Dimperio said. Exercise options range from zumba and kickboxing to senior exercise, sports conditioning and pilates.

Here are some general tips worth following:

Lose weight if you are overweight.

Eat small, frequent meals to maintain blood sugars within healthy range.

Keep refined starches and sugars to a minimum.

Minimize consumption of saturated fats and trans-fats.

Eat lots of vegetables.

Increase your activity level. Aim for 30 minutes a day

“Take control; don’t be a statistic,” Dimperio said.