Medicins Sans Frontières report says treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis at local clinics more effective and cheaper TREATING patients with multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) at their local clinics improves access to care and costs 40% less than confining them to hospital, according to a report by Medicins Sans Frontières published on Tuesday to coincide with World TB day.The research supports the Department of Health’s decision to begin decentralising MDR-TB treatment last year, but Medicins Sans Frontières’ HIV/TB co-ordinator Lynne Wilkinson said the government was not moving fast enough."Drug-resistant TB is a public health emergency and we need to throw all we have at it. We are in big trouble," Ms Wilkinson said on Monday.SA has the world’s third-highest burden of TB, with about 860 cases per 100,000 population, according the World Health Organisation. Only about 1.8% of the TB cases diagnosed in SA are multidrug-resistant, but it is a lot more difficult to ...
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