Drug-resistant TB cases up

Experts Seek Change In Policy Measures To Check Mortality
There has been a 12% increase in the incidence of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in India since 2000, a new study has revealed. The study is based on a retrospective analysis of patient data at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. Researchers have termed the increase as alarming and suggested immediate modification in policy measures to check mortality because of the communicable disease.
According to Dr Chand Wattal, chairman, department of clinical microbiology and immunology , multi drug-resistance in TB patient was 4.7% in 2000 and it has gone up to 19.8% as on 2012. "MDR-TB was more in case of pulmonary (28.2%) than extra-pulmonary 11.6%) TB," he said.
Dr S K Sharma, professor and head of the medicine department at AIIMS, said the survival rate in TB patients who are sensitive to drugs is 90% and higher but in multi drug-resistance cases, it reduces to less than 60%.
"Antibiotic resistance has a major role to play in higher mortality due to MDR-TB. People take highend antibiotics, used for treatment of drug-resistant TB, for treatment of common infections. It reduces the efficacy of the drugs when in need," Dr Sharma.
He said the government should stop over-the-counter sale of anti-TB drugs. "Also, the drugs should be prescribed only at public hospitals or by doctors working under public-private partnership to ensure accountability," Dr Sharma added.
According to World Health Organisation's global tuberculosis report 2013, India has the highest number of MDR-TB patients, partly due to poor disease management by the healthcare system.
Health experts stress on the need for rational prescribing of TB to check instances of drug resistance. "There have been no new drugs for TB for nearly 50 years. If we continue to prescribe drugs irrationally, we will be left with nothing to treat patients who develop resistance to the existing combination of drugs," said a senior doctor.
Dr Sharma said, "South Africa's former President Nelson Mandela, India's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, writer Munshi Premchand and several other celebrities had the disease. But there is still a stigma attached to it.The general belief is that tuberculosisis a poor man's disease which is wrong. It can affect anyone with low immunity".