Better Implementation of Current TB Control Programs Would Reduce Drug-Resistant Strains
Thursday, October 14, 2010(New York, NY) - World Lung Foundation today commended the Stop TB Partnership's launch of the "Global Plan to Stop TB 2011-2015," but cautioned that the promise of breakthroughs in the near future should not delay individual countries from adopting current best practice in the fight against TB.
Dr. Neil Schluger, Chief Scientific Officer of World Lung Foundation commented: "We are delighted to see an emphasis on new point-of-care diagnostics in the Global Plan to Stop TB and urge countries to increase their use of the diagnostic tools that are currently available. Under-diagnosis and delayed diagnosis leads to further spread in communities, especially in overcrowded areas. "
World Lung Foundation also called on countries to ensure they boost their investment in TB control programs that include use of Directly Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS). DOTS has an 85% success rate in treating TB, yet many countries have not yet adopted it as standard practice. DOTS also reduces Multi-Drug Resistant TB, which is partly caused by patients not taking or completing their drug regimens. The impact of failing to implement DOTS on a large scale can be seen even in wealthy countries like South Korea, which has the highest rate of TB by far, compared with other OECD countries – 88 diagnosed cases for every 100,000 people.
Schluger continued: "MDR-TB is a major focus for the Global Plan and the goal of having three new drugs completing clinical trials by 2015 should be applauded. However, the rise in MDR-TB is directly linked to a failure to implement effective TB control programs. Countries cannot wait for new therapies; they should be doing more, now, to treat current cases of TB and slow the rise in MDR-TB by adopting a sound, basic TB control program. World Lung Foundation will work with our partners at local, national and international levels to help countries achieve that goal."
The current estimate is that more than two billion people – one third of the world's population – are infected with TB and 10% of them will develop active TB at some point.
For more information about WLF's positions and role in TB control, visit worldlungfoundation.org and for more about the Stop TB campaign visit http://www.stoptb.org/.
About World Lung Foundation
World
Lung Foundation was established in response to
the global epidemic of
lung disease, which kills 10 million people
each year. The organization
improves global lung health by improving local
capacity to conduct
research, develop public policy and deliver
public health education.
The organization's areas of emphasis are
tobacco control, tuberculosis,
HIV/AIDS, asthma, and child lung health. For
more information, please
visit worldlungfoundation.org
For more information, please contact:
Jorge Alday, World Lung Foundation, at +1 (212)
639 0070 or jalday@worldlungfoundation.org.