Tuberculosis outbreak declared in SA’s APY Lands
SA Health has declared an outbreak of tuberculosis in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands in the state’s far north, with approximately 10 cases confirmed so far.
The road to Amata in the APY Lands. Photo: Jayne Hedger
Chief public health officer Professor Nicola Spurrier and SA’s TB Service clinical director Dr Simone Barry visited the APY Lands this week to meet with community leaders, service providers, schools and the Nganampa Health Council in response to the outbreak.
Approximately 10 tuberculosis (TB) cases have been detected in the community so far, which SA Health has linked as an outbreak.
TB is a potentially fatal disease caused by a bacterial infection and most commonly affects a person’s lungs.
It is spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or speaks, sending germs into the air.
Symptoms include a cough that lasts for more than three weeks, fevers, night sweats, loss of appetite and fatigue.
In a statement this afternoon, Spurrier said TB was not commonly seen in Australia, but the disease was treatable and preventable.
She said while there had so far been a “relatively small number of cases”, it was important for people in the community to prevent the cluster from growing.
“It will need a sustained response over a prolonged period. Strong relationships with community allowing co-design are essential,” she said.
Photo: Edward Connelly
SA Health has not imposed any restrictions on movement in and around the APY Lands in response to the outbreak.
It is working with Nganampa Health Council, SA TB Services and Aṉangu to coordinate testing, screening, contact tracing and treatment for those exposed.
Community meetings will be held in impacted communities, including Pukatja, Amata and Pipalyatjara.
SA TB Services Clinical Director Dr Simone Barry said over the past week health authorities had conducted TB screening of high-risk contacts in and around Pukatja.
She said authorities had also reviewed known cases.
“This has included the use of a new fully-portable chest X-ray unit generously funded by the Hospital Research Foundation, allowing us to take the screening to remote communities,” she said.
“We have joined the Aboriginal Public Health team at community forums to answer questions and concerns.”
SA Health in December reported that there had been a cluster of new TB cases detected among Aboriginal South Australians.
It reported that in 2022, there were six cases of TB in Aboriginal people notified in SA, compared to a total of 77 cases overall in the state.
Nganampa Health Council was unavailable to comment.
