Extremely drug resistant TB becoming 'major threat' in India
By, New Kerala, May 22, 2007
A new study has found that extremely drug resistant TB, or XDR-TB, is fast on its way of becoming a 'major threat' in India.
MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant TB) describes strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to at least the two first-line TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. XDR-TB is MDR-TB that is also resistant to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
XDR-TB leaves patients (including many people living with HIV) virtually untreatable using currently available anti-TB drugs.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Sushil Jain at the World Health Organization and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
As part of the study, researchers examined 3,904 lab samples at the Hinduja National Hospital in Mumbai, India.
Researchers found that 1,274 samples were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Of these, 32 percent were found to be MDR-TB, out of which 8 percent were XDR-TB.
Tuberculosis can infect many sites in the body but most commonly affects the lungs. All XDR-TB cases were in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, or TB found in the lungs, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, laughing or singing. Repeated exposure to someone with TB disease is generally necessary for infection to take place.
"An important finding was that the majority of patients with XDR-TB were of younger age group (their average age was 30 years), thus posing a major threat to our economically productive population," Dr. Jain said.
"Serious efforts are needed to tackle this deadly disease which may become a global emergency," he added.
XDR-TB has long existed in India but has been under-recognized and under-treated.
"Most labs in India are not equipped to perform drug susceptibility tests so exact prevalence is difficult to ascertain, and treatment in the absence of reliable sensitivity reports is difficult. Compounding the problem is the huge costs of treating these most difficult TB patients," he said.
The findings of the study were presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.
--- ANI
Source: http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=31843
A new study has found that extremely drug resistant TB, or XDR-TB, is fast on its way of becoming a 'major threat' in India.
MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant TB) describes strains of tuberculosis that are resistant to at least the two first-line TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. XDR-TB is MDR-TB that is also resistant to three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
XDR-TB leaves patients (including many people living with HIV) virtually untreatable using currently available anti-TB drugs.
The study was conducted by a team of researchers led by Sushil Jain at the World Health Organization and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
As part of the study, researchers examined 3,904 lab samples at the Hinduja National Hospital in Mumbai, India.
Researchers found that 1,274 samples were positive for Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Of these, 32 percent were found to be MDR-TB, out of which 8 percent were XDR-TB.
Tuberculosis can infect many sites in the body but most commonly affects the lungs. All XDR-TB cases were in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, or TB found in the lungs, which can be spread by coughing, sneezing, laughing or singing. Repeated exposure to someone with TB disease is generally necessary for infection to take place.
"An important finding was that the majority of patients with XDR-TB were of younger age group (their average age was 30 years), thus posing a major threat to our economically productive population," Dr. Jain said.
"Serious efforts are needed to tackle this deadly disease which may become a global emergency," he added.
XDR-TB has long existed in India but has been under-recognized and under-treated.
"Most labs in India are not equipped to perform drug susceptibility tests so exact prevalence is difficult to ascertain, and treatment in the absence of reliable sensitivity reports is difficult. Compounding the problem is the huge costs of treating these most difficult TB patients," he said.
The findings of the study were presented at the American Thoracic Society 2007 International Conference.
--- ANI
Source: http://www.newkerala.com/news5.php?action=fullnews&id=31843
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 11:20 am
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