Tackling TB
It is reassuring that India has finally acted in the TB fight with the Health Ministry approving a new BPaLM treatment regime for multidrug-resistant TB. This combination is in use for the past two years or more the world over. India is among the top five nations with the highest disease burden. In the past 40 years, there have been only three new drug introductions for TB and Pretomanid is one among them. Giant pharma companies do not seem to be earmarking budgets for discovering new antibiotics or chemical antimicrobial agents because of the intractable problem of antimicrobial resistance. Drug giants are not interested in investing money unless they are sure of long-term harvesting. This data would have made the news report more comprehensive.
T.K. Prakash,
Kochi, Kerala
Mpox case in India
There should be transparency in reporting the first case of mpox in the country, especially the country from which the affected person travelled recently. Though there is an ‘assurance’ that the case is not a matter of undue concern, its severity among children in countries such as Congo will be of concern among the general public. Even allergic rashes may cause alarm. As this virus shares an antigenic relationship with the smallpox virus and a majority of the adults in India were vaccinated till 1975, it may possibly provide herd immunity by cross protection. Labs should be equipped with reagents for PCR diagnosis for quick screening.
Dr. V. Purushothaman,
Chennai
Manipur crisis
It is shocking that the government seems nonchalant about restoring peace in Manipur. How long will the region burn?
P. Sriram,
Chennai
Published - September 10, 2024 12:24 am IST
