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Why is the treatment of MDR-TB challenging?
MDR-TB is a type of TB caused by bacteria. In MDR-TB, the drug isoniazid and rifampicin are given first. According to WHO, if the drug isoniazid and rifampicin do not work properly in MDR-TB bacteria, then second-line medicine is given, whose course ranges from 9 months to 20 months. These medicines are expensive and harmful to the body. If we look at the figures of 2019, 60 percent of the patients were cured of MDR-TB disease. It has also been revealed that most of the TV patients prefer to take TB medicine over injection and that is why they consume TB medicine for a long time, which has very harmful consequences.
What do doctors have to say about this new TB drug in India?
According to WHO, India accounts for 28 percent of the 16 million new TB cases. Indians depend on these two drugs isoniazid and rifampicin to fight MDR-TB in the country. Dr Vikas Oswal, a Mumbai-based pulmonologist, says, “These two TB drugs affect different patients differently. This shows whether the TB medicine has to be given to the patient for a short time or will last for a long time. How the body fights disease also has a big role to play. Many times it also happens that if a patient needs long term treatment and medicine, then we cannot run him a short term course.
According to Dr Sanjay Gaikwad, Chairman, Zonal Task Force of National TB Elimination Program (West Zone), “The new drug that has come will definitely cost less money for short-term treatment of TB. But at the same time, we also have to take full care of whether the patient is recovering completely from the short term or not. Dr. Gaikwad says, ‘TV patients will not have to take long-term medicines and injections after the arrival of this new medicine, it will be beneficial. Further he says that since corona, we need to be a little aware about any disease. The Kovid epidemic has given us a great lesson that just as we used to take care of some things or still keep in mind to prevent the spread of Kovid, similarly people who came in contact with TV patients should be screened. Why should the office be at home or in the family only? If there is a TB patient around you and you come in contact with him, then it is necessary to go to the hospital and get him screened.’
Governments should make rules and regulations for TB disease
Guy Marks, president of The Union and chairman of WCOLH, says, ‘TB disease has become a problem for the whole world in today’s time. There is a need to make good high quality medicine for this disease, some rules and regulations. Before Kovid, TB is such a disease that spreads from person to person. This disease has killed more people than Kovid. In the last one year, more than 10 lakh people have died due to this disease. At the same time, one crore people fall in the grip of this disease every year. In such a situation, it is necessary that some rules should be made for the patients of MDR-TB. Due to which the risk of this disease can be prevented.
