World Health Organization and Stop TB Partnership Release US$2.15 Billion Plan to Contain Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

World Health Organization and Stop TB Partnership Release US$2.15 Billion Plan to Contain Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

June 22, 2007

    GENEVA, June 22 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of
thousands of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can
be prevented and as many as 134,000 lives saved through the
implementation of a two-year response plan,
published/launched today by the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the Stop TB Partnership.

    (Logo:
http://www.xprn.com.cn/xprn/sa/20061102095006-51.jpg )

    The Global MDR-TB and XDR-TB Response Plan 2007-2008
sets out measures needed now to prevent, treat and control
extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB)* and
multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)*. The plan also sets in
motion actions to reach a 2015 goal of providing access to
drugs and diagnostic tests to all MDR-TB and XDR-TB
patients, saving the lives of up to 1.2 million patients.

    "XDR-TB is a threat to the security and stability
of global health. This response plan identifies costs,
milestones and priorities for health services that will
continue to have an impact beyond its two-year time
line," said WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan.

    The plan emphasizes the urgent need to boost basic TB
control and target investment in key areas, including:
strengthening programmes to treat drug- resistant TB;
building capacity in diagnostic laboratories; expanding
infection control and surveillance; and funding research
into new and improved diagnostics, drugs and vaccines.

    The plan lays out a strategy for sufficiently
increasing the number of fully equipped TB laboratories in
countries with high levels of TB to achieve a ten-fold
increase in detection of MDR-TB cases. If fully
implemented, the plan will also increase by ten-fold the
number of MDR-TB and XDR-TB patients being treated and
cured under WHO guidelines.

    "We have sounded the alarm on the potential for an
untreatable XDR-TB epidemic. Today we issue our response on
behalf of all patients and communities whose lives are most
at risk.  It is an ambitious plan that must be fully
supported if we are to keep a stranglehold on
drug-resistant TB," said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director
of the WHO Stop TB Department.

    The world first became aware of XDR-TB in March 2006
after researchers reported on an emerging global threat of
highly resistant TB strains.  Concerns were heightened six
months later by a cluster of 'virtually untreatable' XDR-TB
cases in an area of South Africa with high prevalence of
HIV. All but one of the 53 patients died in an average of
25 days after samples were taken for drug resistance tests.
Last month, the case of an air passenger from the United
States infected with XDR-TB also focused attention on the
need to address the TB epidemic as an immediate
international priority.

    "A highly important element of the plan is a
steady supply of quality drugs to treat MDR-TB and XDR-TB
in underserved countries," said Dr Marcos Espinal,
Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership. "The
Partnership's Global Drug Facility is ensuring supply of
these drugs to a growing number of countries, after our
Green Light Committee has verified that applicant countries
meet its technical standards and will use the drugs
correctly."

    The Global MDR-TB and XDR-TB Response Plan 2007-2008
details activities to be carried out in all six WHO
regions. Its eight main objectives are those recommended by
the WHO Global Task Force on XDR-TB, which met in October
2006. 

    The total budget for the two-year plan is US$ 2.15
billion, of which 80% is for country-specific needs. US$
102 million is for essential support functions to fight TB
drug resistance by international partners, including WHO
and the Stop TB Partnership, at global, regional and
national levels.

    Note to Editors:

    MDR-TB is a form of TB that does not respond to the
standard treatments and is defined as TB resistant to the
main first-line drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. There are
an estimated 424 000 new cases of MDR-TB every year. 
Multidrug resistance emerges when there is mismanagement of
drugs and under-investment in quality TB control. It can
also be spread from one person to another. The cost of
treating MDR-TB can be 1000 times more than treating
standard TB.

    XDR-TB occurs when there is resistance to all of the
most effective anti-TB drugs, and is defined as TB with
MDR-TB resistance as well as resistance to any one of the
fluoroquinolone drugs and to at least one of the three
injectable second-line drugs, amikacin, capromycin and
kanamycin.  Extensive drug resistance emerges through
mismanagement of MDR-TB and can also spread from one person
to another. There are an estimated 25 000 to 30 000 new
cases of XDR-TB every year.  So far, 37 countries have
confirmed cases of XDR-TB.
 
    All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media
material may be found at http://www.who.int .


    For further information, please contact:

    WHO Stop TB Department: 
    
    Glenn Thomas
    Communications Officer
    Mobile: [phone]
    Email:  [e-mail]

    Stop TB Partnership:

    Judith Mandelbaum-Schmid
    Communications Officer
    Stop TB Partnership
    Mobile: [phone]
    Email:  [e-mail] 

    For video and audio: 

    Chris Black
    Tel:    [phone]
    Mobile: [phone]
    Email:  [e-mail]