The potential benefits of the TB surveillance programme in Antigua

1. The potential benefits of the TB surveillance programme in Antigua Dr. Cedric Lazarus

2. TB around the world today • Over 2 billion persons worldwide are infected with the TB bacteria • Most cases are in the developing world especially in Asia, Africa • 8-10 million people get the disease every year • And nearly 2 million people die of it yearly • TB is the leading killer of people with HIV • TB and HIV go hand in hand!

3. Estimated Global burden of TB • World population: 6.8 billion • Population infected with TB: 2 billion • People ill with TB:16 million • New cases annually: 8-10 million • Deaths per year: 2 million • Yearly deaths from TB/HIV:230,000

4. TB around the world • The top 3 killers in the world are • Malaria, TB and HIV. • More TB today than at any other time. • The TB resurgence is mainly due to the HIV pandemic.

5. What is bovine TB? • Chronic disease of cattle and other animals • Zoonotic disease • Public health implications • Some countries are free of bovine TB

6. Countries free of bovine TB • Many European countries • Australia • New Zealand • Canada • Some Caribbean countries such as Cuba, Jamaica • Antigua????

7. Tb in cattle • Cause: Mycobacterium bovis • (Tuberculosis and M. avium) • Cows get the bacteria from other cows mainly by breathing it in or by ingestion. • Disease mainly in lungs, lymph nodes, gut, udder, liver, kidney. • Weight loss, weakness, loss of appetite, pneumonia, cough, • In most cattle there will be no symptoms at all! • Hence most farmers will not know if their cows have the disease or not. Cause Symptoms

8. How to tell if a cow has the disease? • Skin test (tuberculin test) • Blood test (new but expensive) • Take samples of animals slaughtered for meat and send to the lab and try to grow the bacteria from the tissues. • (It takes 4-8 months for the bacteria to grow in the lab) On the farm Slaughterhouse

9. The TB bacteria

10. Why try to control or eliminate Tb in cattle? • It can be spread in raw unpasteurized milk or • meat from infected cattle. • It’s a dangerous zoonosis - so man can get it from cattle.

11. How can we get bovine TB? • My drinking raw unpasteurized milk from infected cows. • In milk or meat from infected animals

12. How can we get tb from cattle • By close contact with the secretions of infected animals

13. Who are at risk from cattle TB? • Cattle farmers • Veterinarians • Animal health workers • Public health meat inspectors • Children and infants • The elderly • Immuno-compromised persons • People with HIV/AIDS etc

14. Cattle farmers are at risk

15. Veterinarians and animal health workers are at risk

16. Meat inspectors and slaughter house workers are at risk

17. Children, infants, the elderly are at risk

18. The elderly, people with HIV, etc

19. So the benefits of bovine TD surveillance and eradication are: • Healthier human population • Healthier animal population • More productive animal population • Safer food for the consumer • Reduced health care costs • Reduced animal health costs • Increased potential to trade in animal and animal products with other countries

20. Thank you for your attention.