ABSTRACT
SETTING: Tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) are prominent public health problems in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, a small island nation with high rates of tuberculosis and diabetes. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the rate of active and latent TB in a Pacific Island DM clinic. DESIGN: In one DM clinic on the island of Ebeye, 213 adult patients aged 27-86 years completed tuberculin skin testing and TB work-up between April 2010 and March 2012. RESULTS: Screening for TB led to the diagnosis of 77 patients with TB infection and 11 patients with TB disease. From these data, the prevalence of TB disease among DM patients in the clinic exceeded 5% (95% CI 2.2%-8.1%). All patients who completed TB screening were at high risk of TB disease, and those with DM aged ≤ 50 years had a higher risk of TB disease than those with DM over age 50 (RR 3.1, C.I. 1.0-9.7, p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: The experience at the Ebeye Diabetes Clinic demonstrates that screening DM patients for TB can identify significant rates of TB infection and TB disease, and should be considered for other settings with a high background TB incidence. Further assessment of TB risks should explore age, gender, and level of diabetes control.
ABSTRACT
On March 25, 2009, the Ebeye Leroj Kitlang Memorial Health Center on the island of Ebeye in the Republic of the Marshall Islands was overwhelmed with over 100 patients presenting for vomiting and diarrhea. Epidemiologic investigation revealed that there were 174 cases among 187 attendees at a local funeral earlier in the day. Most cases had eaten served sandwiches containing egg products that had undergone severe time-temperature abuse. While no causal agents were identified, the epidemiology and clinical presentation is compatible with foodborne toxins, most likely enterotoxins of either Staphylococcus aureus or Bacillus cereus. Mitigation measures undertaken by public health centered on education of food preparers and the general public regarding safe food preparation practices. This large outbreak serves to remind us that, while there are simple and highly effective measures to prevent such foodborne disease outbreaks, we in the public health sector have a duty to improve the community's knowledge and understanding of these measures.
