The ‘XDR’ in tuberculosis XDR stands for “Extensively Drug Resistant”. What does this mean? It means that it is virtually untreatable. The first reported outbreak of this was in KwaZulu-Natal, a province of South Africa, in September 2006. 52 out of the 53 patients diagnosed with the XDR stain died within 25 days; 44 of them were found to be HIV positive. In combination with HIV infection, XDR-TB works quickly, sometimes killing within sixteen days. A moral dilemma was presented to the WHO (World Health Organization) as to whether XDR-TB patients should be quarantined to stop the outbreak.
A more common drug resistant strain of tuberculosis is the MDR strain. MDR stands for multi-drug resistant. The fewer drugs a strain is resistant to, the better. With the emergence of XDR-TB, doctors have looked more closely at their patients with MDR-TB. In some countries, studies have shown that a percentage of MDR-TB cases have met the criteria for XDR-TB:
US: 4%
South Korea: 15%.
Eastern Europe: 19%
Concern is focused mostly on Africa. Because of the effect tuberculosis XDR has on HIV positive patients, it could become particularly crippling in Africa. It could quickly become a global problem if there is no quarantine to stop the spread. In America, one man has already been imprisoned after being diagnosed with XDR-TB and refusing to take measures to prevent spreading it to others. His confinement has sparked an ethical dilemma.
For more information on the confinement of Robert Daniels see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17915965/
For more on XDR-TB see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XDR-TB
A more common drug resistant strain of tuberculosis is the MDR strain. MDR stands for multi-drug resistant. The fewer drugs a strain is resistant to, the better. With the emergence of XDR-TB, doctors have looked more closely at their patients with MDR-TB. In some countries, studies have shown that a percentage of MDR-TB cases have met the criteria for XDR-TB:
US: 4%
South Korea: 15%.
Eastern Europe: 19%
Concern is focused mostly on Africa. Because of the effect tuberculosis XDR has on HIV positive patients, it could become particularly crippling in Africa. It could quickly become a global problem if there is no quarantine to stop the spread. In America, one man has already been imprisoned after being diagnosed with XDR-TB and refusing to take measures to prevent spreading it to others. His confinement has sparked an ethical dilemma.
For more information on the confinement of Robert Daniels see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17915965/
For more on XDR-TB see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XDR-TB
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