WHO urges Asia to take action vs TB

MANILA, Philippines – The World Health Organization (WHO) yesterday urged Asian nations to take action against the growing threat of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB).

WHO said only one percent of some 150,000 MDR-TB cases in the Western Pacific Region are receiving appropriate treatment and each of the untreated patients could infect five to 10 people a year.

“MDR-TB does not stop at the border. An uncontrolled local epidemic threatens the stability of global health security. TB anywhere is TB everywhere,” said WHO regional director for Western Pacific Dr. Shigeru Omi.

Omi warned the disease is on the move “with some two million people traveling on airlines every year and the internal migration of millions.”

“We are more vulnerable than ever to the MDR-TB threat. Countries must act responsibly to safeguard global health,” he said.

MDR-TB can become a precursor to a TB epidemic that is more costly and complex to control.

Drugs to treat MDR-TB are about 100 times more expensive than the regimen for normal TB.

The cure for TB had been discovered 50 years ago but it remains a “leading infectious disease killer of adults” after Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired  Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS).

Western Pacific accounts for the largest number of MDR-TB cases among WHO regions, although the concentration of cases is higher in parts of Eastern Europe.

According to Dr. Pieter Van Maaren, WHO regional adviser for TB, no country in Western Pacific is “rushing to fight MDR-TB.”

“There is a waiting list for treatment in every country. In some cases, available funds are not being used due to bureaucratic barriers or poor awareness of what can be done. The lack of knowledge on MDR-TB has even led to patients being prescribed the wrong drugs, especially in the private sector,” he said.

Many countries lack adequate laboratory facilities and even if they do have these, more action needs to be done to fight MDR-TB, he added. – With AP