Illustration of human lung anatomy showcasing tuberculosis infection
About TB
- Bacterial infection caused by bacterium called Mycobacterium Tuberculosis.
- Bacille Calmette Guerin vaccine is given to babies or children to prevent TB.
- Global target set for elimination of TB is 2030 but India aims to eliminate TB by 2025.
Steps for TB taken by Indian Govt.
- National Strategic Plan for 2017-25 sets specific targets.
- Setup of an Online Nikshay Portal for tracking of TB cases.
- Improved access to molecular diagnostic tests such as CB-NAAT and TrueNat has been facilitated.
- A universal drug susceptibility test determines the antibiotic susceptibility for all newly diagnosed cases.
- Setup of community engagement program that involves Nikshay Mitra adopting TB patients and providing monthly nutritional support to them.
A new treatment regimen for Drug-resistant TB
- Multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB –
- Patients who are infected with strains resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, called multidrug-resistant(MDR) TB.
- They are practically incurable by standard first-line treatment.
- Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) TB –
- It refers to MDR-TB strains that are resistant to fluoroquinolones and second-line injectable drugs.
Causes of Drug-resistant TB
- The main causes of the spread of resistant TB are weak medical systems, amplification of resistance patterns through incorrect treatment, and transmission in communities and facilities.
BPaL
- India is getting ready to roll out BPaL (bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid) regimen for all multi/extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis patients. This is a significant move in the country’s battle against with the new regime indicating good results in countries including Pakistan, South Africa, Ukraine, etc.
- BPaL is a new all-oral combination of drugs consisting of Bedaquiline (B), Pretomanid (Pa) and Linezolid (L).
- The new regimen is also expected to be more cost-effective, significantly. reducing treatment costs .
- After the availability of generic bedaquiline cost to TB programmes has fallen Enhance Treatment Outcomes.
- The regimen shortens treatment duration from 18-24 months to about six months and simplifies the process to three daily tablets, compared to the previous regimen of 14 drugs.
- A shorter regimen, such as BPaL, which is all oral and requires lesser doses per day, will make it easier for a patient to adhere to and complete treatments.