[Field experiences with the 6-month Singapore therapy in the treatment of open lung tuberculosis in Cambodian refugees].

The particular situation of a refugee camp with transit character, as represented by "holding Centre Khao-I-Dang" (KID) for Cambodian refugees in Thailand, had to be taken into consideration when determining the therapy plan for the disease that is epidemiologically most important, smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Under Singapore conditions daily administration of isoniazid (H) and rifampicin (R) for 6 months combined with a 2-month intensive phase of streptomycin (S) and pyrazinamide (Z) daily proved highly effective. The large-scale transfers in KID in February and March 1981 led to consistent administration of this therapy plan, which is recommended by the WHO. By the end of September 1981 61 patients aged 15 years and over had entered the "Thai/Swiss Red Cross TB Programme". Criterion for entrance was the presence in sputum of acid-fast bacilli in the Ziehl-Neelsen stain. The routine examinations consisted of three microscopic sputum examinations per month, a sputum culture and a chest x-ray before commencement of therapy, followed by a chest x-ray at the end of the intensive phase and at the end of therapy. Efficacy and side effects of the 6-month therapy in our collective were similar to those of the Singapore study.