Virtually untreatable TB spreading, warns WHO
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that deadly new strains of TB that are “virtually untreatable” using drugs that are currently available, appear to be spreading across the world.
The new strains are known as extreme drug-resistant TB or XDR TB and have been identified in a number of countries including the United States, Africa and eastern Europe.
A HPSC spokesperson said there may be a small number of cases of extreme drug resistant TB in Ireland.
Provisional HPSC statistics for 2004 show that there were 437 cases of TB reported during the year, compared to 421 in 2003.
Head of the WHO’s TB resistance team, Dr Paul Nunn, said situation was very serious.
There are nine million cases of TB in the world and the health body estimates that 2%, or 180,000, could be XDR TB.
Dr Nunn said a failure to correctly implement treatment strategies was to blame.
A two-day meeting of experts in Johannesburg, South Africa, that begins today will discuss how the problem should be addressed.
XDR TB is defined as strains that are not only resistant to the front-line drugs, but also three or more of the six classes of second-line drugs.
People who are HIV-positive are at particular risk of XDR TB and it could have a bigger impact on development nations, including Africa, because of the prevalence of the virus.
Dr Nunn said the way to tackle the problem was to ensure that the patient took every pill during the course of their treatment.
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