Tuberculosis May Become A Global Threat Again

Iphtashu Fitz writes "The journal Nature Medicine is due to release a report today on how highly drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis are on the verge of becoming a global epidimic. Strains of TB that are highly resistant to antibiotics are becoming increasingly prevalent in places like Russia, eastern Europe, and China, and only small changes are required to make these strains start spreading quickly. Treatment for multiple-drug-resistant strains of TB requires a carefully monitored cocktail of drugs taken for months on end, a regimin that many, especially in poorer countries are unlikely to follow to completion. The strategy used by the World Health Organization to combat TB, the "directly observed treatment, short course" or DOTS, involves using trained health workers to watch patients take their long courses of drugs, since even a little carelessness could result in TB mutating into a more drug resistant form within the patient." Oh, Alexander Fleming ^? where art thou now?

Comments

It's about time...

[MalaclypseTheYounger]

First it was going to be AIDS, then it was SARS, cancer is slowly being beaten...

Maybe a nice new healthy TB strain will be the new plague to rid ourselves of some of the population.

How long has it been, at least 400-600 years since a nice big population dwindling event has occurred...

My daily commute isn't getting any shorter, oil seems to be running out... air is getting more and more polluted... time for the G-O-D to clean the house out a little...

(and if it's my time to go, I'm fine with that)