In what could be called one of the biggest advances by the country in fighting tuberculosis, the government plans to provide treatment for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), for the first time from next month.

In its report on Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme for the fourth quarter of 2006, and ahead of its annual report to be released on World TB Day on March 24, the Health Ministry has pointed out its major achievements in forming the guidelines for treating MDR-TB.

A senior official in the ministry said, “The cost of treating each patient is approximately Rs 1 lakh and the patient has to undergo treatment for over 24-28 months and must be closely monitored. The treatment is also highly toxic.”

MDR-TB affects nearly 60,000 people every year and needs specialised laboratories for diagonosis.

The report states that the government has set up two laboratories in Maharashtra and Gujarat and will admit its first patient in April this year. In 2007, the government plans to cover 15 more states and bring the entire country under the programme by 2008.

Two other big surveys to be carried out in Phase II of the RNTCP programme includes a national disease prevalence survey, which will start with 6 districts this year and be carried out in the entire country by 2009. The last prevalence survey was done in 2000. The other survey to be started this year will be the Annual Risk of TB infection, which will cover the new cases found per year. The last survey was conducted between 2001-03.

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