UKZN Study Investigates Pulmonary Tuberculosis among Mineworkers
A study which sought to determine the risk of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) among in-service underground mineworkers in Zambian copper mines, earned a Zambian medical doctor, Dr Kingsley Ngosa, a Master of Medical Science degree, specialising in Occupational and Environmental Health.
‘The overall aim of the study was to determine the risk of PTB among underground miners exposed to silica dust in Zambia’s copper mines, with the specific objectives of establishing the levels of silica dust at various work sites, determining the prevalence of PTB and investigating the relationship between PTB and cumulative exposure to the dust,’ said Ngosa.
His cross sectional study reviewed 360 in-service miners’ medical records and silica exposure data at the Occupational Health, Safety and Research Bureau (OHSRB) in Kitwe. The period reviewed was between 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2010.
The results of the study indicated that after adjusting for age, gender and smoking habits, miners in a high cumulative silica dust category had a 6.3 fold greater risk of developing PTB than those in low cumulative silica dust category. Further, miners who smoked tobacco had a 4.5 fold greater risk of developing PTB than non-smokers.
According to Ngosa, several studies have been conducted into the risk of PTB in miners, but all were in the gold mining industry.
‘My study, to the best of my knowledge, is the first to be conducted in the copper mines. Exposure to silica dust poses a lifelong risk of developing PTB. By controlling the silica dust in the mines, PTB incidences among the miners can be reduced, and since miners live with their families in the communities, transmission rates from infected miners to the families in the communities can also be reduced,’ explained Ngosa.
Ngosa there was a need to intensify preventive and dust control measures in the mines and incorporate anti-smoking interventions into TB prevention and control programmes.
He conducted his retrospective chart review research study under the supervision of UKZN’s Occupational and Environmental Health HoD, Professor Rajen Naidoo.
Ngosa, currently working at the Occupational Health and Safety Institute in Zambia, said his studies had given him an insight into what Occupational Medicine was all about. He plans to further his studies in the Discipline.
Married with two daughters and two sons, he enjoys reading research articles, watching soccer, going to church and travelling.
Nombuso Dlamini