A new antibiotic has passed a key phase in a test of drugs aimed at shortening the time to cure tuberculosis, offering a potential boon in the fight against TB, according to a study reported in The Lancet on Saturday.
The standard treatment for TB is a course of drugs that takes up to six months, a time that is so long that many patients, believing they are cured because they no longer feel symptoms of the disease, abandon the therapy.
Tuberculosis - Spread - Symptoms - Diagnosis - Treatment - FAQs
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affects the lung. It may spread to other organs.
Tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, primarily affects the lung. It may spread to other organs.
In the quest for a fast-track cure, doctors tested a new antibiotic called moxifloxacin in conjunction with the standard medications among a group of 170 patients in Brazil.
Among those who had moxifloxacin added to their regime, 80 percent tested negative for the TB bacterium in their sputum by the end of the eighth week. In the non-moxifloxacin group, the success rate was only 63 percent.
Tuberculosis in Children - Magnitude of the problem
In India nearly 3-4 million children have tuberculosis and another 94 million are at risk for this disease. The annual infection rate is about 3% and usual sources are adults.
In India nearly 3-4 million children have tuberculosis and another 94 million are at risk for this disease. The annual infection rate is about 3% and usual sources are adults.
In 2007, 9.27 million people contracted TB, an increase of about 30,000 over the previous year mainly in line with population growth, according to the World Health Organisation.
Advertisement
World Tuberculosis Day 2009
World Tuberculosis Day which falls on March 24th is observed each year with renewed vigor to continue the global fight against tuberculosis.
World Tuberculosis Day which falls on March 24th is observed each year with renewed vigor to continue the global fight against tuberculosis.
Source-AFP
SRM
