Symposium on drug resistant TB on December 21 at Manipal University

Manipal: Manipal McGill Center for Infectious Diseases (MAC ID) along with Dr TMA Pai endowment chairs in Tuberculosis Elimination,Translational Epidemiology & Implementation Research of Manipal University will hold half a day Symposium on Drug Resistant Tuberculosis on December 21, 2016 at Manipal. The deliberations will focus on newer diagnostics and treatment of Drug Resistant TB, nutritional implications in TB and protection of health care workers from TB.

Drug resistant TB is a serious and growing threat in India, especially in the urban areas such as Mumbai. Multi drug resistant TB (MDR TB) is caused by TB bacteria resistant to two of the most important first line drugs against TB, namely isoniazid and rifampicin. About 480 000 people worldwide developed MDR-TB in 2015, with half of the global burden contributed by China, India and the Russian Federation.

Drug resistant TB occurs when patients fail to complete drug therapy, are irregular in their treatment, have relapse or newly acquire it from another person with drug resistant TB. People with active TB can infect 10–15 other people through close contact over the course of a year. Early diagnosis of MDR TB is critical because the treatment regimen required is entirely different from the standard first line anti TB therapy. As treatment of MDR TB is much longer, more toxic, and very expensive specialized care is very important. While caring for individuals infected with TB, health care workers are potentially at high risk of acquiring TB.