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Tuberculosis: the bacillus is becoming increasingly resistant to treatment!
[mis à jour le 23 March 2007 à 15h05]
According to the WHO global report on tuberculosis, for the first time since 1993 the number of cases has stagnated. However, the fight against the disease has become complicated because of the emergence of ultra-resistant forms, particularly in Eastern Europe.
On the occasion of the World Tuberculosis Day, the Stop Tuberculosis Partnership reported that the mortality rate of this disease has stabilised at 150 cases per 100,000 people. With 350 cases per 100,000 people, Africa is still paying the highest price. In all, 8.8 million new cases were recorded in 2005 throughout the world, with 1.6 million people dying.
In the WHO European region which covers 52 countries, 445,000 new cases and 66,000 deaths were reported in 2005. “Three-quarters of these cases occurred in six countries: the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Romania, Turkey and Ukraine”, says the Regional Office in Copenhagen.
One worrying feature is that Eastern Europe has the highest rate of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis in the world. This occurs when the tuberculosis bacteria are resistant to at least isoniazid and rifampicin, the two most powerful anti-TB frontline drugs. “Resistance to drugs is the clearest indicator of a problem in the fight against tuberculosis”, declared Dr. Marc Danzon, WHO Regional Director for Europe.
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9 article(s)
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