XDR (extensively drug-resistant) Tuberculosis Spreading

XDR (extensively drug-resistant) Tuberculosis Spreading

Source Link: sfgate.com

A meeting of international AIDS researchers opened here Sunday amid growing concerns about a deadly strain of tuberculosis that has been killing HIV-infected patients in South Africa and has been spotted in 27 other countries around the world.

Known as XDR-TB, or extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, the bug first drew wide attention in August at the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto.

(visit the link for the full news article)

While its still small comapred to regular TB deaths, this type of drug resistant strain et al. will hit everybodies shores sooner than latter. Its far more effective to fight the fight in Africa than to wait untill it has true pandemic status. According to the CDC, US patients effected with the XDR strain have a 64% greater mortality than the regular strain. We are one mutation away from a variant we cannot treat.

I've heard that it's pretty big in the orient. I think that you should have to have either a clear TB test or recent xrays before you are allowed to fly to this country.

If a TB carrier rides next to you for the entire trip over, there is a good chance that you're going to get it. Thanks to the air circulation system on a plane, you might get it anyway, even if you aren't sitting next to the TB carrier.

I have to admit that I thought about this the last time I was on a plane for 14 hours. You really don't want to hear someone coughing

Originally posted by Wildbob77
If a TB carrier rides next to you for the entire trip over, there is a good chance that you're going to get it.

Well if they are a carrier BUT do not have the active disease then you would not. If they are active, then you have just spend hours rebreathing the air and whatever public health system you land in will have to retrospectivly go back and find you and treat you.