Officials at China Meeting Call for Increased Efforts To Address Drug-Resistant TB

Health officials from 27 countries with high burdens of multi-drug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis on Wednesday warned about the rising prevalence of drug-resistant TB, Reuters reports. The officials -- whose countries account for 85% of all MDR-TB cases -- spoke at the opening of the three-day Ministerial Meeting of High M/XDR-TB Burden Countries in Beijing.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 50% of new drug-resistant TB cases develop as initially drug-resistant and are not the result of inadequate treatment. Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, said these findings are "the true alarm bell." She continued, "This tells us that resistant strains are now circulating in the general population, spreading widely and largely silent in a growing pool of latent infection." Chan said the rise in drug-resistant TB could "spiral out of control," adding, "Call it what you want, a time bomb or a powder keg, any way you look at it this is a potentially explosive situation." WHO data from 2006 also indicate that of the nine million new TB cases reported annually, MDR-TB accounts for about 490,000 and XDR-TB accounts for about 40,000 (Hornby/Blanchard, Reuters, 4/1). In addition, fewer than 5% of the estimated drug-resistant TB cases are detected and less than 3% are being treated in accordance with WHO guidelines, Chan said (Wong, AP/Google.com, 4/1). She added, "The situation is already alarming and is poised to grow much worse very quickly" (Reuters, 4/1).

In order to address the rising prevalence of drug-resistant TB and insufficient treatment rates, ministers at the meeting are expected to develop five-year strategies to prevent and control the spread of drug-resistant TB in their respective countries. Tido von Schoen-Angerer of Medecins Sans Frontieres said it is particularly important to address the "slow progress in treating people," adding that countries "have the capacity to act and need to make this a priority and put people on treatment." Chan urged officials "to make the right policy decisions with appropriate urgency," adding, "At a time of economic downturn, the world simply cannot afford to let a threat of this magnitude, complexity and cost spiral out of control" (AP/Google.com, 4/1).

Chu Naihui, senior doctor at the Beijing Chest Hospital, said, "This meeting, and the big infusion of funding, is good news for TB patients and especially for MDR patients." Mel Spigelman, head of the TB Alliance -- which is partnering with the Chinese Academy of Sciences to develop drugs from natural sources -- said it is "extremely difficult" to ensure adherence to lengthy treatment regimens, particularly in developing countries. According to Reuters, China has the second-highest MDR-TB prevalence worldwide, following India (Reuters, 4/1).