Do you know how the 22 high TB burden countries are using the new Xpert MTB/RIF test?
13 November 2014 - Geneva, Switzerland - A new study found that the use of the Xpert MTB/RIF test in the 22 high TB burden countries is primarily limited to people in whom drug-resistant TB is suspected or to a lesser extent people living with HIV in whom TB needs to be diagnosed. The exceptions are South Africa, Brazil and Russia who currently recommend this test for all people in whom TB is suspected. South Africa alone had procured 66% of the tests procured globally.
The authors hope that these results will serve to raise awareness about the need for using the technology for testing more people in whom TB is suspected for greater impact, acknowledging this will only be possible with much greater investments in improved tuberculosis diagnosis and care from both donors and domestic funding.
The Xpert MTB/RIF is a new automated molecular test which diagnoses TB as well as drug resistance to one of the key anti-TB drugs within two hours from a single sputum sample.
Read the full study here.
Source: STOP TB Partnership
