scinerds:

Totally drug-resistant TB at large in India | New Scientist

A strain of tuberculosis that is resistant to all existing TB drugs has emerged in Mumbai, India.

“We currently have 12 confirmed cases, of which three are dead,” says Zarir Udwadia of the Hinduja National Hospital and Medical Research Centre in Mumbai, and head of the team whose diagnoses of four cases has just been published.

The emergence of the disease in such a densely populated city is a major concern as it could spread so easily. “We know one patient transmitted it to her daughter,” Udwadia told New Scientist. “It’s estimated that on average, a tuberculosis patient infects 10 to 20 contacts in a year, and there’s no reason to suspect that this strain is any less transmissible,” he warns.

For patients, the outlook is grim. “Short of quarantining them in hospitals with isolation facilities till they become non-infectious – which is not practical or possible – there is nothing else one can do to prevent transmission,” says Udwadia.

The worry is that if it continues spreading, TB will become incurable again and patients will have to rely on their immune system, rather than medical intervention, to overcome the illness – a scenario last seen a century ago.

[Read More]

  1. human-like-you reblogged this from actuallymittromney
  2. bookshopcasanova reblogged this from scinerds and added:
    Well, I’m fucked. Thanks, India.
  3. emocatfish reblogged this from scinerds
  4. neverwasiever reblogged this from scinerds
  5. discodancerdonna reblogged this from scinerds
  6. chelseacheshirecat reblogged this from scinerds
  7. heartoftardis reblogged this from scinerds
  8. wentforthproceed reblogged this from scinerds
  9. gzhao06 reblogged this from scinerds
  10. justreturningvideotapes reblogged this from alwaysdrugsalways
  11. sequinedstrawberries reblogged this from scinerds
  12. mafer-seow reblogged this from scinerds
  13. letslook4treasure reblogged this from scinerds
  14. electric-withghosts reblogged this from actuallymittromney
  15. actuallymittromney reblogged this from the-grip-of-a-hurricane
  16. the-grip-of-a-hurricane reblogged this from whenindoubtapplymoreglitter and added:
    well, this is upsetting.
  17. jocicausa reblogged this from scinerds
  18. alwaysdrugsalways reblogged this from bonersnstuff
  19. viverevero reblogged this from scinerds
  20. ditisrevolution reblogged this from bonersnstuff
  21. bonersnstuff reblogged this from scinerds
  22. thecoolestpirate reblogged this from missizzylivesforaday
  23. wordstomeawhisper reblogged this from whenindoubtapplymoreglitter
  24. 555productions reblogged this from scinerds
  25. nintendo-geek reblogged this from scinerds
  26. missizzylivesforaday reblogged this from whenindoubtapplymoreglitter
  27. exceptionality reblogged this from scinerds
  28. whenindoubtapplymoreglitter reblogged this from nakedsciencebutt and added:
    A very, very bad thing.
  29. phokasa reblogged this from scinerds
  30. nakedsciencebutt reblogged this from scinerds and added:
    This is a bad thing. Seriously.
  31. tonygt3 reblogged this from scinerds and added:
    scary stuff…what if all we are doing to prevent diseases now is making them stronger for future generations to combat?...
  32. cannibalbloodcells reblogged this from scinerds
  33. hypercubic reblogged this from scinerds
  34. adistinguishedvillain reblogged this from scinerds
  35. scinerds posted this