Only One In Three Persons With Drug-Resistant TB Are Receiving Treatment

Nov, 2022 - By WMR

Less individuals receiving a TB diagnosis means that more patients inadvertently spread the extremely contagious disease to others in outbreaks that would not have been discovered in nations with underdeveloped healthcare systems.

TB is the second-deadliest infectious illness in the world after COVID-19. It is brought on by germs, which usually attack the lungs. Most often, the viruses are passed from one person to another through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

Over 95% of TB occurrences occur in underdeveloped nations and largely affect adults, particularly those who are malnourished or have other diseases like HIV.

Dr. Hannah Spencer, a member of Doctors Without Borders in South Africa, stated that drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is treatable but disturbingly, cases are increasing for the first time in years. "Now is the time to scale up shorter, safer, and more effective therapies."

Spencer demanded that the cost of TB treatment be reduced such that a full course of treatment would not exceed $500.

The alternatives for patients seeking TB diagnosis and treatment have gotten worse, according to the WHO, as a result of continuous hostilities in eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the country was already experiencing one of the worst TB epidemics in the world. Health professionals worry that patients' failure to receive treatment may contribute to the spread of more drug-resistant TB in the area.

The country has experienced a lack of essential medications, and officials have difficulty keeping track of patients, despite the fact that TB patients who have been displaced by the war can seek therapy in Ukraine.

The Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provides funding to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. All content is the exclusive responsibility of the AP.