There have been many cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis, namely from Bengaluru and Mangaluru, resulting from patients being administered second-line drugs at the first diagnosis of TB, according to the director of State Tuberculosis Demonstration Centre Anil S.
Of the multi-drug resistant TB cases being treated in the State, nearly 27 per cent have developed resistance to a drug that had been effective against TB. This was a cause of concern, he added. He urged doctors to follow the standardised treatment and the diagnosis for tuberculosis and prevent the increase in instances of multi-drug resistant stream of TB.
Dr. Anil, speaking at a continuing medical education programme on ‘Update on programmatic Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculsis’, said that drug-resistant tuberculosis was a man-made phenomenon and it resulted from poor treatment and poor drugs schedule.
Dr. Anil said work, to standardise the drug combination for TB patients, was going on and added that a national drugs survey was underway and as many as 13 drugs were being studied.
Dr. Anil said the State was also strengthening diagnostic facilities for TB. There are two state-of-the-art laboratories in Bengaluru and Hubballi and another will come up shortly in Raichur.
Cartridge-based Nucleic Acid Amplification Test machines, which detect TB and drug resistant TB, will be installed in nearly 12 places.
