Drug-resistant TB cases soar globally

A new study has found that drug-resistant TB is at its highest ever recorded level.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed higher than feared levels of MDR-TB in 45 countries, which is resistant to the two most powerful anti-TB drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin.

The strain was found to be particularly prevalent in the former Soviet Union, making up 22.3 per cent of all TB cases in Baku in Azerbaijan, as well as 19.4 per cent in Moldova and 16 per cent of cases in Donetsk in the Ukraine.

"TB drug resistance needs a frontal assault," said Dr Mario Raviglione, director of the WHO Stop TB department.

"If countries and the international community fail to address it aggressively now we will lose this battle.

"In addition to specifically confronting drug-resistant TB and saving lives, programmes worldwide must immediately improve their performance in diagnosing all TB cases rapidly and treating them until cured, which is the best way to prevent the development of drug resistance."

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