Tuberculosis: Resistant Also Insidious & Rampant

Tuberculosis: Resistant Also Insidious & Rampant

TB is an old & ancient disease that is mutating into a strong & resistant disease that is starting to run rampant in India. The most resistant strain of TB on the planet is found in india. There is a world initiative to battle this disease there & elsewhere. This new strain has been found in the USA, canada, the U.K., Germany, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Russia, Japan, etc. Tuberculosis can attack not only the lkungs but also the skeletal system in the form of osteo-tuberculosis. Learning all you can about this health threat is essential.

In terms of population coverage, India now has the second largest DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short course) programme in the world. However, India's DOTS programme is the fastest expanding programme, and the largest in the world in terms of patients initiated on treatment, placing more than 100,000 patients on treatment every month. This site provides information about tuberculosis and its control in India.

Over 40% of the world's cases of TB are in India, and a greater proportion of our projects are based there so it was natural that TB Alert's first overseas office was set up in India.

TB Alert India is based in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh State and has been set up as a separate but related Organization to carry out the aims of TB Alert within the Indian context. TB Alert India is playing active role in acting as a catalyst between the Government and Community for effective implementation of RNTCP (Revised National Tuberculosis Programme). TB Alert India works through local partner Organisations which themselves operate in close collaboration with the TB Programme of the Government Health Services.

In 1993 the World Health Organisation declared TB a Global Emergency

One third of the World's population - nearly two billion people - is infected with TB. Ten million people a year develop the active disease. Two million die each year.  That is the equivalent of the number of people killed in the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami EVERY TWO MONTHS.

Every minute two children worldwide die of Tuberculosis. Less than 40% of people with TB get get access to treatment - because they don't know it exists, because they can't get to a clinic or because they are too afraid of the stigma of being a TB patient.

Getting A Handle On TB:

StopTB
Stop TB is a global movement to accelerate social and political action to stop the unnecessary spread of tuberculosis around the world.
http://www.stoptb.org

Tuberculosis Control- India
Official web site of Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme implementing Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS) in India.
http://www.tbcindia.org

TB-EDucate Mailing List
TB-EDucate provides subscribers the opportunity to ask questions, share comments, and exchange information with other subscribers about tuberculosis education and training issues. TB-EDucate is open to anyone who has an interest in these topics.
http://lists.cdcnpin.org/mailman/listinfo/tb-educate

TB India
Objectives of the web site include, disseminate information on TB in India, and improve care of TB patients in India and to enable doctors and NGO’s interested in TB control to interact.
http://www.angelfire.com/indie/tbindia

TB-Update -- Division of TB Elimination, CDC Weekly Update
CDC provides the TB-Related News and Journal Items Weekly Update. This update is a compilation of TB-related articles published for the benefit and information of people interested in TB.
http://lists.asciences.com/mailman/listinfo/tb-update

World Health Organization-Tuberculosis
The web site provides WHO fact sheets on tuberculosis and links to various WHO publications.

Sources:

http://www.allaboutmedicalsales.com/news/0106/TB_in_India_27.html
http://ntiindia.kar.nic.in
http://www.who.int/health-topics/tb.htm
http://www.tbalert.org/about/tba_india.php
http://us.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scidev.net%2Fcontent%2Fnews%2Feng%2Fhigh-incidence-of-drug-resistant-tb-found-in-india.cfm