Drug resistant TB needs rapid action

The re-emergence of tuberculosis as a global health problem over the past 20 years prompted researchers from the Public Health Laboratory Service (UK) to use data from Mycobnet (UK Mycobacterial Resistance Network) to identify levels of drug resistance to the disease in the UK between 1993 and 1999.

They found that, although the proportion of drug resistant cases seems to be stable in the UK at present, more than 1 in 20 patients has resistance at diagnosis. Furthermore, more than 1 in 100 patients has multidrug resistant disease. Certain groups of people were found to be at a higher risk of developing drug resistant tuberculosis, including younger men, residents of London, foreign born subjects, and HIV infected people.

The authors conclude by recommending that tuberculosis controls should be strengthened to minimise the emergence of resistance, through practical measures such as rapid diagnosis, rapid identification, supervised treatment, and comprehensive surveillance. (

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Mixed media fails to move masses

A mass media campaign in Denmark aimed at convincing more …