Drug-Resistant TB Complicates India's Health Drive

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News (Printable Version)

<<> News (Printable Version) Drug-Resistant TB Complicates India's Health Drive Abstract Marking World TB Day, India’s government said its free TB diagnosis and treatment program is helping cut TB prevalence and mortality in the country. To prevent drug-resistant TB from developing, India is expanding its DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) effort. Patients in the program are monitored to ensure they adhere to the appropriate treatment regimen for the prescribed period of time. Each day, an estimated 5,000 Indians develop TB and nearly 1,000 die from it, according to the World Health Organization. The World Bank cites TB as a major threat to India’s social and economic development, costing 100 million working days each year and $3 billion in indirect economic costs. While India has made improvements, patients who have drug-resistant TB are falling through the cracks, says Dr. Zarir F. Udwadia, a TB expert and chest physician at Mumbai’s private Hinduja Hospital. Early diagnosis and correct treatment are needed, Udwadia said. Yet a survey he and colleagues conducted in the large Dharavi slum in Mumbai found just three in 100 doctors knew how to correctly prescribe TB treatment. Udwadia blames poverty, ignorance, and stigma for India’s high TB rate. “We’ve got a long way to go in terms of education,” Udwadia said. “You don’t see the kind of constant bombardment with messages of health awareness that you should be getting. Many patients don’t want to go to a DOTS clinic because it’s obvious that they have TB. I’ve seen young girls sent home post-honeymoon night when the husband finds out that they’ve got TB. It’s that kind of stigma and ignorance that we are dealing with.” Source http://www.afp.com/english/home/ Date of Publication 03/24/2010 Article Type General media Article Category International News Subjects Asia Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course, DOTS Drug Resistance Tuberculosis (TB) Treatment Disclaimer: NPIN provides this information as a public service only. The views and information provided about the materials, news, funding opportunities, organizations, and conferences do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, or NPIN. cdcnpin.org News Record #54994

Abstract Marking World TB Day, India’s government said its free TB diagnosis and treatment program is helping cut TB prevalence and mortality in the country. To prevent drug-resistant TB from developing, India is expanding its DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) effort. Patients in the program are monitored to ensure they adhere to the appropriate treatment regimen for the prescribed period of time. Each day, an estimated 5,000 Indians develop TB and nearly 1,000 die from it, according to the World Health Organization. The World Bank cites TB as a major threat to India’s social and economic development, costing 100 million working days each year and $3 billion in indirect economic costs. While India has made improvements, patients who have drug-resistant TB are falling through the cracks, says Dr. Zarir F. Udwadia, a TB expert and chest physician at Mumbai’s private Hinduja Hospital. Early diagnosis and correct treatment are needed, Udwadia said. Yet a survey he and colleagues conducted in the large Dharavi slum in Mumbai found just three in 100 doctors knew how to correctly prescribe TB treatment. Udwadia blames poverty, ignorance, and stigma for India’s high TB rate. “We’ve got a long way to go in terms of education,” Udwadia said. “You don’t see the kind of constant bombardment with messages of health awareness that you should be getting. Many patients don’t want to go to a DOTS clinic because it’s obvious that they have TB. I’ve seen young girls sent home post-honeymoon night when the husband finds out that they’ve got TB. It’s that kind of stigma and ignorance that we are dealing with.” Source http://www.afp.com/english/home/ Date of Publication 03/24/2010 Article Type General media Article Category International News Subjects Asia Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course, DOTS Drug Resistance Tuberculosis (TB) Treatment Disclaimer: NPIN provides this information as a public service only. The views and information provided about the materials, news, funding opportunities, organizations, and conferences do not necessarily state or reflect those of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC, or NPIN. WWW.cdcnpin.org/

cdcnpin.org News Record #54994