MSF response to release of new WHO global tuberculosis report 2014
The World Health Organization (WHO) has released their Global Tuberculosis Report 2014. While TB incidence and mortality rates from TB continue to fall, MSF notes alarming trends in the drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) epidemic and urges action to reverse course.
Key data of concern:
• Some countries report a significant increase in the spread of DR-TB person to person, with some now reporting up to 35% of new cases as multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB)
• Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) is also on the rise within areas of the former Soviet Union, where it accounts for an estimated 20% of DR-TB cases
• Despite an increase in confirmed diagnoses of MDR-TB, only around one in five people with MDR-TB worldwide receive proper treatment; the number of people left untreated is increasing annually
Statement from Dr. Grania Brigden, TB Advisor for Médecins Sans Frontières’ Access Campaign:
“The alarming spread of drug-resistant TB from person to person in the former Soviet Union is of critical concern, along with the growth in MDR-TB and XDR-TB cases. Access to proper treatment is drastically low: only one person in five with multidrug-resistant TB receives treatment; the rest are left to die, increasing the risk to their families and communities and fuelling the epidemic.
This dismal news must serve as a wake-up call for governments, donors and drug companies to step-up and improve the DR-TB response today.
We need to see fundamental change, starting with ending retrograde practices that contribute to the spread of drug-resistant forms of TB; treatment regimens and practices must be brought in line with World Health Organization recommendations, and patients must have access to drug sensitivity testing for accurate and timely diagnosis. More than a year after the introduction of two new TB drugs, and with repurposed drugs showing promise in XDR-TB care, most patients remain far from getting improved treatment options. To reverse this epidemic’s course, a dramatic increase in collaboration and investment into the development of new and affordable diagnostics and treatment regimens will be essential.”
MSF response to new 2014 @WHO TB report: Some countries show alarming spread of DR-TB from person to person #MDRTB
Source: Médecins Sans Frontières
