New Drug-Resistance Test Gives Hope To TB Fight
A new diagnostic test unveiled by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday will allow doctors in poor countries to find out within hours – instead of months – whether patients have drug-resistant tuberculosis.
The new test can determine directly from a patients saliva (spyt) whether the tuberculosis bacteria can be treated with the two main antibiotics, isoniazid and rifampicin, making it easier to prescribe the drug to cure the disease and prevent its spread.
– The new test is revolutionary,, because it changes completely the way we will be dealing with MDR-TB, said said Dr. Mario C. Raviglione, WHOs Director of Tuberculosis Control.
The difficulty in detecting cases rapidly and accurately is a major obstacle in tuberculosis control. In most developing countries, cases cannot be detected easily or at all, leading to lags in starting proper treatment that can lead to a patient’s death and the further spread of resistant strains.
The WHO estimates that only 2 percent of drug-resistant cases worldwide are now being detected and treated appropriately, mainly because of a breakdown in the global program that is supposed to keep the disease, one of the worlds deadliest, under control.
The WHO and UNITAID, a multinational funding partnership backing disease response in poor countries, said 26,1 million US dollar will be available to roll out the test in 16 developing countries over the next four years. The South African government is expected to endorse the test.
– This test is feasible, is affordable, and is effective in high endemic countries, said Giorgio Roscigno of the Geneva-based Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics, which helped develop the test.
Detecting drug-resistant TB quickly improves the chances a patient will survive and lowers the risk that the disease mutates further into an even more drug-resistant form of the disease. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, which affects about 40.000 people each year, is very difficult to treat with drugs.
The Stop TB Partnership said it will train staff and equip laboratories in four African countries this year, starting with Lesotho.
Ethiopia, Ivory Coast and Congo will also begin using the 5 dollar test before the end of the year, said WHOs Raviglione. A further 15 dollar has to be spent on lab equipment and staff salaries, bringing the total cost to 20 dollar compared with up to 34 for older methods.
Kilde: www.worldbank.org
