A “virtually untreatable” form of Tuberkulosis (TB) has emerged, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), reports BBC Online Wednesday.
Extreme drug resistant TB (XDR TB) has been seen worldwide, including in the US, Eastern Europe and Africa, although Western Europe has had no cases.
Dr Paul Nunn, from the WHO, said a failure to correctly implement treatment strategies was to blame.
TB presently causes about 1,7 million deaths a year worldwide, but researchers are worried about the emergence of strains that are resistant to drugs.
Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR TB), which describes strains of TB that are resistant to at least two of the main first-line TB drugs, is already a growing concern.
Globally, the WHO estimates there are about 425.000 cases of MDR TB a year, mostly occurring in the former Soviet Union, China and India.
Treatment requires the use of second-line drugs, which are more toxic, take longer to work and costly. But now, according to researchers, an even more deadly form of the bacteria has emerged.
