Fear-Resistance: How Worried Should We Be about "Totally Drug-Resistant" Tuberculosis?

A clinic in Mumbai, India claims to have taken in patients with a particular strain of Tuberculosis resistant to all current types of medications and treatments. Tuberculosis, a disease that develops in the lungs, generally kills those with weakened immune systems who don’t receive treatment soon enough. XDR-TB, the name given to drug-resistant strains of Tuberculosis, is incredibly frightening due to its epidemic-like spreading capabilities combined with it’s resistance to antibiotics. Luckily for all, the patients do not seem to be completely resistant to TB medication, as nine of the patients who haven’t yet succumbed to their disease, are being treated with high-grade antibiotics. WHO, the world health organization, had been considering categorizing drug-resistant TB as it’s own deadly disease, and cases like these in Mumbai only added fuel to the fire. However, without clear criteria, and a multitude of antibiotics on the way, a new disease category will most likely not need to be made.

I chose this article due to the effect that a drug-resistant strain of TB could have on the world. Though new drugs are on the way to combat possible XDR-TB strains, the idea that a drug-resistant TB exists still scares scientists to the core, and Mumbai’s “false alarms” have the entire world on edge. Tuberculosis is much lesson common in the United States, with 3.6 cases per 100,000 people, than other developing regions, such as Africa and Southeast Asia, where levels stand at 280 and 450 respectively. Were a drug-resistant strain to eventually hit the world, no amount of medicine or wishful thinking would be able to provide enough protection to combat the effects of Tuberculosis, as drug resistant “TB anywhere, is TB everywhere”, and a devastating toll would be taken on humanity.

I found this article to be interesting and insightful; though it certainly didn’t quell my fears of drug-resistant TB forcing it’s way into everybody’s lives. It provided a meaningful look into the process that WHO goes into when designating new disease categories, and provided an abundance of opinions from people who study TB directly and examine diseases daily gave quite a bit of information on their feelings on the disease. My only complaint lies with the fact that there wasn’t a lot of substance to the article – it lacked detailed descriptions of Tuberculosis, past cases and quarantines, and failed to leave the reader reeling from the effects. And it could have been greatly improved upon with a tad bit more evidence for the dangers of TB, and it’s effects all around the world.  Overall, the article was very well done, and what it lacked in detailed descriptions was more than made up for with first-hand accounts from scientists, and a variety of facts and statistics. It was a pleasure to read, and a great education on the risks associated with Medicine-Resistant Tuberculosis.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=fear-resistance-how-worried-should