THE SPREAD OF VIRTUALLY UNTREATABLE DISEASE

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In 2009, the USA had a case of highly drug resistant TB. (First case of extremely drug-resistant TB in U.S.)

The Obama Administration is cutting funding for the Global Fund to fight Tuberculosis and Malaria

In 2008, a man in his 30s was in isolation at a hospital in Glasgow.

He had a virtually untreatable strain of tuberculosis. (Hospital confirms first UK case of extreme drug-resistant TB.)

If you have TB, the drugs that you can be given are:

isoniazid

rifampicin

fluoroquinolone

amikacin

kanamycin

or capreomycin.

There are now strains of TB that are not killed by any of these drugs.

One reason is that poor people cannot afford to take their drugs for the whole of the 6 months to 1 year that is required.

The drugs to treat TB can cost many hundreds of dollars.

Another reason is that many of the TB drugs in Third World countries are fakes.

There is "a real risk that resistant TB could spread globally out of control." (Drug-resistant TB spreading globally, warns WHO.)



American and UK scientists have developed a new class of antibiotic that tricks tuberculosis bacteria into 'suicidal self-poisoning'. (Scientists develop new antibiotic to fight TB )

Will poor people have access to new drugs?

Will fake drugs continue to circulate?

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