Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Becoming More Prevalent

Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis Becoming More Prevalent

Extensively drug resistant TB (XDR-TB) is a form of TB that is almost completely resistant to antibiotics. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that attacks the lungs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 30,000 people a year are becoming infected, which could start a rapid spread of the disease. Since this strain of TB emerged in 2006, there have been instances in 37 countries.

Around 8.8 million people a year contract normal TB, and 1.6 million a year die from it. Another 450,000 contract multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB), which is resistant to the first-line drugs. But XDR-TB is resistant to both the first and second line drugs. Only one third of XDR-TB patients are cured, while the rest die.

Regular TB is diagnosed under a microscope, but drug-resistant forms require the use of more advanced labs to run tests. This is a major issue because most poor countries cannot afford this kind of equipment. TB can only be controlled by individuals who have the disease by taking their medication. Those who stop taking these drugs when they feel better are responsible for the emergence of the drug-resistant strains of TB.

To stop the epidemic it is important to find new tools for diagnosing that require less extensive labs, new drugs that can treat all forms of TB.  Patients must also continue taking their prescription medication throughout the entire course of its administration for it to .