WHO warned of the possibility of an epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis
Last reviewed: 16.10.2021
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In European countries, the incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis has increased. According to AFP, this was stated by the director of the regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO) Zsuzsanna Jakab (Zsuzsanna Jakab).
Some strains of mycobacteria that cause tuberculosis, in the course of development, have become resistant to various drugs. The most dangerous are multidrug-resistant pathogens (MDR), which are not treated with isoniazid and rifampicin. Super-resistant mycobacteria in addition to MDR are insensitive to fluoroquinolones and one of the injectable drugs (amikacin, kanamycin or capreomycin).
According to WHO, about 440,000 people are infected with the drug-resistant form of infection every year. At the same time, more than 80,000 cases of MDR-TB infection are registered in Europe annually.
Exact data on the number of patients with super-resistant tuberculosis are absent, since most countries do not have specialized laboratories that can determine the appropriate type of sensitivity of mycobacteria to treatment. However, WHO reports that between 2008 and 2009, the incidence of a super-stable form of infection doubled.
In this regard, the international organization planned a campaign to prevent the development of drug resistance in mycobacteria. WHO specialists urged physicians to prescribe adequate therapy in each case, and patients strictly adhere to the prescribed treatment. In their opinion, these steps will cure about 127,000 patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis, and also prevent the death of 120,000 patients by 2015.