MDR - TB (Report from The Star)

WHO has endorsed a new laboratory equipment that can diagnose multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) within 90 minutes instead of two months.

WHO Stop TB Western Pacific Re­­gio­­nal Office adviser Dr Catharina van Weezenbeek said the simple de­­vice would be able to differentiate MDR-TB from the normal TB infection through genetic changes in the microbacterium.

“Until two years ago, it was difficult to diagnose MDR-TB but last week, WHO endorsed a new laboratory equipment, which is a revolution to TB control,” she told The Star.

Anyway you might ask what is MDR-TB. It is multi drug resistant TB - a pretty pretty dangerous form of TB which is difficult to cure. There is another type - XDR-TB (Extensively drug resistant TB), which there is no cure at all. Bad, bad...

So ladies and gentleman, please be careful.