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Why is tuberculosis infection a major global health challenge?
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by highly drug-resistant bacteria. The increase in variability and drug resistance in recent years, especially the problem of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), has posed a major challenge to global health. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that tuberculosis is one of the leading causes of death around the world, especially in developing countries. This is not just a regional health problem, but a global challenge, affecting the stability of various countries and societies.
About a quarter of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis, which is a staggering number.
Tuberculosis is caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Although most people carry the bacteria, people only show symptoms when the bacteria are active and affect the body's immune system. These factors include HIV infection, increasing age, diabetes, etc., which can reduce an individual's immunity and make the disease more likely to spread and worsen.
At the beginning of the 20th century, tuberculosis was already a top global health challenge, and today the emergence of drug-resistant tuberculosis has further complicated this situation. Treating multidrug-resistant TB requires second-line drugs, which are often less effective, more toxic, and expensive. Treatment can cost more than $100,000 for a single patient, and the treatment cycle stretches to as long as two years, well beyond the six months of traditional TB treatment.
Incorrect or inadequate treatment will accelerate the development of drug-resistant TB.
According to a report by the World Health Organization, the number of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis cases worldwide in 2021 will still be as high as 600,000, of which 240,000 will be deaths directly caused by MDR-TB. The problem of drug resistance is particularly serious in regions such as South America, South Africa, India and China. In fact, the epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis has increased the burden on the global public health system and affected the efficiency of disease control.
In order to effectively control the spread of tuberculosis, international research and prevention measures against drug-resistant tuberculosis need to be strengthened. Rapid diagnosis and early treatment are key. If the quality and accessibility of testing and diagnosis are not improved in the future, drug-resistant tuberculosis will continue to spread. The success of treatment depends largely on patient compliance. Patients must persist in taking medications during treatment, otherwise drug resistance will worsen.
Tuberculosis treatment requires careful planning and coordination to reduce the mortality rate.
Expert studies have shown that in the absence of sufficient drugs, tuberculosis bacteria will continue to evolve and further increase their resistance to drugs. Some tuberculosis bacteria have mutated to the point where they are completely resistant to all known first- and second-line anti-tuberculosis drugs, leaving the world facing a potential health crisis. Long-term treatment requires experienced doctors, otherwise the patient's mortality rate will increase significantly.
Community-based treatment programs, such as directly observed therapy (DOTS) and the DOTS-Plus program specifically for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, have achieved valuable success in poor and rural areas. For example, a treatment program in Peru achieved cure rates in more than 80% of patients. This shows that with the right resources and treatment strategies, TB can be defeated even in the most difficult settings.
MDR-TB is not only an individual health problem but also a challenge for public health policy. How to strengthen supervision, improve diagnosis and treatment on a global scale, and make full use of community resources will be the key to testing the health systems of various countries. This is a task that requires the joint efforts of the whole society, especially the participation of governments, non-profit organizations and the public. In the face of this ongoing global health crisis, how can we act to meet future challenges and avoid a resurgence of TB?
