Efforts to control drug-resistant TB outbreaks failing, say experts

Current approaches to diagnosing and treating tuberculosis are ineffective and do not reach the majority of people with drug-resistant TB, particularly in regions with high HIV rates, according to public health advocates meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, for the annual World Conference on Lung Health.

The advocates, including the Open Society Institute, Treatment Action Campaign, AIDS & Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, Partners In Health and Medecins Sans Frontieres, are convening a meeting on November 9 with global leaders on TB control to explore community-based solutions to stem the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and to encourage patients to take their full course of antibiotics.

"TB is a treatable disease but for far too many people it has become a death sentence," said George Soros, chairman of the OSI, adding that "global leaders should use this week's World Conference on Lung Health to move away from empty rhetoric and commit to real programs that can save countless lives."