Super-resistant TB

Sonesh pointed out this news on the TIER mailing list.

Many cases are being reported all across the world that are resistant to the first and second lines of TB treatment. This is extremely worrisome because researchers do not have any further drugs in the pipeline. The reason that is being cited is that people do not complete their full course of medication. What could be a solution to this?

Edmund Resor, also on the TIER list, suggests that having a medical records system will be ideal for this, similar to the one for HIV/AIDS in Africa. This is an excellent idea, but problems remain with encouraging people to complete their medication or seek medical advice as soon as symptoms begin to appear. Entities like the Self Help Groups (SHGs) for watershed development and microfinance could prove ideal out here, because such contagious diseases are harmful for the entire community. Cultural quirks still remain however, where patients are supposed to be quarantined, and thus might even lose their jobs, which in the case of a single-money earner in the family can put everybody at both health as well as financial risk. There is no one answer to this problem, but it is tied down with awareness, education, and to realize responsibilities. However, one thing is very clear that the people have to help themselves. Organizations and charity groups can only facilitate the process by putting systems into place, but the systems have to be run by the people themselves.

Another thing of concern is that medical research, like any other research, follows fad trends. AIDS and HIV vaccines are the hot topics of today, and receive a lot of funding. Thus, other diseases like TB do not get the attention they deserve.