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Tuberculosis May Become A Global Threat Again

Posted by Hemos on from the the-rerise-of-bacteria dept.

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?

6 of 480 comments (clear)

  1. first post by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    this isn't the first post but TB prevented me from getting one.

    MY THUMBSS,
    MY THUMBS!!!!!!!1

    nobody here knows what TB is.
    it's not that bad, i've had it for 10 years
    and i'm as fit as a fiddle!!!!

  2. Liver failure? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Hey I've been wondering about the liver thing - I know this guy that takes too much ephedrine HCl - about 100 25mg pills a day. Does ephedrine put your liver at risk? Also, how much liquor poses a risk? He drinks about 1/2 a bottle of Sauza Hornitos a day too. This has been going on for about 5 years? How long can he keep this up? Will he just "drop dead" with no warning?

    Thanks,
    Jim

  3. Bah! Everything2? by FooAtWFU · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    An Everything2 link? Bah! I must recriprocate with the Wikipedia article on the man!

    --
    The World Wide Web is dying. Soon, we shall have only the Internet.
  4. Want to keep the TB out of the US?And save the US! by leon.gandalf · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The Paul Revere Society Needs You!
    The Paul Revere Society 8-Point Program
    MEN AND WOMEN PROTECTING AMERICA
    1. Support Traditional Marriage
    2. Close the Borders now.
    3. Deport all illegal immigrants now.
    4. Eliminate bilingual education in all states.
    5. Require health tests for all recent foreign born immigrants.
    6. Make tax cuts permanent.
    7. End Affirmative Action
    8. Tort Reform - Stop Class Action Lawyers.
    http://www.homestead.com/prosites-prs/index.html/

  5. Free GMAIL Invites from sinthetek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Here are some free gmail invites I don't want, thanks. - sinthetek
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-517235 8b19-6f45f145ca
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-13556c 0563-18969179a8
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-62e3c6 9d32-22621daaff
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-6c3f07 c84e-b9e70ce4cd
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-bc9b11 50e2-0bef3ba2a4
    https://gmail.google.com/gmail/a-b0ab39f1a8-d6f302 cd83-e0644e7ef5

  6. Re:It's about time... by MalaclypseTheYounger · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Awww. How quaint, a knee-jerk American response! A Bush man! Probably lives near Texas!

    You mention murder while attempting to make a post about saving lives. How rhetorical!

    If we would just get a little more murder on these days (on a massive scale) we wouldn't need big plagues, new diseases, etc, etc, to control our population. But everyone has to be SOOO P.C. nowadays... can't start major world wars, perform ethnic cleansing, stage a bloody coup, use nuclear weapons... so we get more and more populated, more disease grows and spread, and kills off 1/3 of us. YAY! More oxygen for the rest of us! Less Hummer H2's on the road while we try to go to work! Think of how much shorter the lines will be at the supermarket!

    Humans die. It's what we do. It's what you will do. It's what your family will do. It's what your neighbors will do. Just accept that fact, and live your life to the fullest.

    Just don't start bitching and moaning about "I didn't have enough time, I didn't get to do this or that, I never told so-and-so I loved them" because you're a procrastinating a-hole that thinks you're God and are going to live forever...

    You get fed this line about how, like, you're gonna live forever or whatever. You're gonna die. Someone'll kill ya. Someone'll kill ya with a knife. You make sure your abs are, uh, friggin' ripped; you got some good guns! You wanna look good for when you get stabbed with a knife. Sorry, that's how it works...

    --
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