XDR-TB is the abbreviation for extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis, also called extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. One in three people in the world is infected with dormant TB germs. Only when the bacteria become active do people become ill with TB. Bacteria become active as a result of anything that can reduce the person’s immunity, such as HIV, advancing age or some medical conditions.
TB can usually be treated with a course of four standard, or "first-line," anti-TB drugs. If these drugs are misused or mismanaged, multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) can develop. MDR-TB takes longer to treat, and requires "second-line" drugs that are more expensive and have more side effects. XDR-TB can develop when these second-line drugs are also misused or mismanaged and become ineffective. Treatment options for XDR-TB are seriously limited.
The rapid and accurate diagnosis of symptomatic patients is the cornerstone of global strategies for TB control. Inaccurate diagnosis has spurred the rapid spread of TB and drug resistance, especially in HIV/AIDS patients. The testing method used almost universally in the developing world is more than 115 years old and is largely ineffective in identifying TB in HIV/AIDS patients. False negative tests are very common, leading to inappropriate treatment. This contributes to the continued rapid spread of TB and also expands the incidence of drug resistance.
The ultimate goal of providing a more up-to-date TB diagnostic tool for the 21st century is the focus of ongoing research and development. While no single diagnostic test provides all the information needed for patient care over the disease's progression, several complementary technologies exist today that, when used correctly, can help reduce the spread of TB and its mortality rate.
The ultimate goal of providing a more up-to-date TB diagnostic tool for the 21st century is the focus of ongoing research and development. While no single diagnostic test provides all the information needed for patient care over the disease's progression, several complementary technologies exist today that, when used correctly, can help reduce the spread of TB and its mortality rate.
Many people think of TB as a disease of the past, but in 2007 alone, TB killed 1.7 million people. That’s 4,660 deaths a day, or one death from TB every 20 seconds. TB is the leading killer of people with HIV: Individuals are able to live with HIV but are dying from TB. Without proper treatment, 90% of those living with HIV die within months of contracting TB.
The drugs to treat a standard TB case cost only $20 per patient in the developing world, and are almost always completely effective in curing a person of the disease when taken properly, even among people living with HIV.
XDR-TB and MDR-TB, the drug-resistant strains of TB, are much more difficult, and sometimes impossible, to cure. Cases of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) and extremely drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) have been found in almost every country of the world. It is not clearly known how far these strains have spread.
Reversing the TB epidemic is a political issue as much as it is a health issue. The World Health Organization estimates that it will cost approximately $6.7 billion annually to reverse the TB epidemic. Currently, only slightly more than half of that is projected to be available at current funding levels. This gap is costing millions of lives.
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