The World Health Organization (WHO) recently unveiled new initiatives that could detect patients suffering from multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) at a faster rate, in two days, as opposed to the regular diagnosis rate of the two to three months.
In a statement released recently, WHO said these new initiatives consist of two projects. The first project is a molecular method to diagnose MDR-TB that was formerly used exclusively in research settings. The project was made possible through a US26.1-million grant from UNITAID, an attached agency of the WHO that centers on purchasing drugs and establishing long-term funding to increase access and reduce the cost of drugs for the treatment of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB in developing countries.
The molecular tests are called line probe assays and produce results in less than two days.
Another UNITAID supported agreement is the US$33.7million global drug facility that will boost the supply of drugs needed to treat MDR-TB in 54 countries, including those receiving the new diagnostic tests.
WHO officials are hopeful that this project will result in price reductions up to 20 percent for second-line anti-TB drugs by 2010.
WHO defines MDR-TB as a form of tuberculosis that responds poorly to standard treatment because of resistance to the first-line drugs, Isoniazid and Rifampicin. WHO estimates peg the number of diagnosed and properly treated MDR-TB at two percent of total cases worldwide.
Our Department of Health (DoH) said the Philippines is one of the countries in the Western Pacific Region that was cited by the WHO as having one of the highest number of cases of MDR-TB next to China.
Last year, the DoH increased its budget allocation for tuberculosis (TB) management to effectively manage the increasing number of Filipinos suffering from MDR-TB that accounts for an estimated 7,000 new cases annually.
Inadequate laboratory services, WHO officials said, are the main reason for the poor treatment of PDR-TB cases. Through the new initiatives, the international health experts said that the treatment should increase by 15 percent over the next four years. |
