High levels of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis found worldwide
THE most comprehensive report of the tuberculosis menace worldwide has unveiled worrying levels of drug-resistant strains of the infectious disease. Patients in Kazahkstan, Uzbekistan and Estonia are 10 times more likely to have multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis> than those residing in other countries, reveals the report of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The document is based on the assessment of one-fifth of the world’s new tuberculosis cases reported from 77 countries in 2002-03. During the period, nine million new tuberculosis cases were reported every year, with two million deaths (see ‘Not enough’, p39). Of the nine million, about 300,000 cases were MDR, sapping already limited resources. “MDR treatment requires a cocktail of drugs which are very expensive,” explains Paul Nunn, WHO coordinator, TB/HIV and drug resistance.
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Kazahkstan heads the list of the worst affected countries, with 57 per cent of new TB cases being resistant to one drug and 14.2 per cent being MDR. Worryingly, six of the top 10 MDR tuberculosis hotspots are former Soviet states. WHO officials believe this is due to the breakdown of the public health system after the collapse of communism. China’s Liaoning and Henan provinces are also among the top 10 places facing the MDR crisis. “If the national prevalence of MDR is as high as was detected in Liaoning (eight per cent), then there are major problems in China,” says Nunn. About 485,000 new cases of the disease are being reported from the country every year. In the wake of the report, WHO has urged for the expansion of tuberculosis control measures. HEALTH & MEDICINE Crisis worsens High levels of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis found worldwide With 485,000 new cases of tuberculosis every year, China is in deep trouble
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