According to an article published in this week’s issue of The Lancet, an international epidemic of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis may be more prevalent than previously it was previously expected.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is capable of withstanding treatment with the two most potent anti-TB medications- isoniazid and rifampicin.
In the research, World Health Organization scientists recognized multidrug-resistant TB in all 79 countries they surveyed. Of the 424 000 new cases of multidrug-resistant TB in 2004, more than fifty per cent occurred in China, India and Russia.
The general median occurrence of multidrug-resistant disease in new cases of TB was 1 per cent only. In eight countries, such as Kazakhstan and Latvia, the occurrence appeared to be 6.5 per cent.
Growing rates of multidrug-resistant illness were recognized in Botswana and Tomsk Oblast in Russia, whereas declining rates were seen in Cuba, Hong Kong and the United States.
Precursor to XDR TB
"MDR-TB is a forerunner to XDR-TB [extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis], lately reported among HIV-infected people in South Africa," wrote the author of the research, Mario Raviglione. He informed that the results of the research "highlight the significance of implementing sound tuberculosis control activities in order to prevent further creation of MDR tuberculosis and the need of mainstreaming top-quality treatment for MDR tuberculosis into routine tuberculosis control programs. Otherwise, XDR-TB is bound to carry on emerging as a deadly variant of TB, particularly in high HIV-prevalence settings."
Around 8.9 million people all over the world develop TB every year. In 2004, TB killed 1.7 million people.
