TB ‘Spiraling Out of Control’ in Developing Countries, MSF Report Says

Tuberculosis is "spiraling out of control" in developing countries worldwide, and will "continue to kill millions ... unless radical action is taken," according to a Medecins Sans Frontieres report released on Tuesday in advance of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease's World Conference on Lung Health in Paris, BBC News reports. Although TB "can be easily treated," the "inadequate attempts to control" the disease mean that "massive investment in developing new diagnostic tests and drugs is needed now, so that we can effectively diagnose and treat all those with TB in the shortest possible time," Dr. Francine Matthys, TB adviser for the MSF Access to Essential Medicines campaign, said, according to BBC News (BBC News, 10/16). The report, titled "Running Out of Breath: TB Day 2004," says that strategies implemented by the World Health Organization and the union use "archaic tools" in diagnosing and treating the disease, Reuters reports. The report calls for easier-to-use medications to treat TB; the creation of new, "more effective" diagnostic tests; and a "stronger detection and treatment plan" for patients co-infected with TB and HIV, according to Reuters (Reuters, 10/26). "It's time to openly admit that we'll never be able to 'control TB' by just prescribing more of the same," Matthys said (MSF release, 10/26).