In 4 years, severest form of TB strikes 55 in Pune

PUNE: A total of 55 cases of the extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) — the world’s most untreatable form of TB — have been detected within the municipal limits of Pune in a little over four years, between January 2015 and March 2019, revealed the latest report of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s health department.
The highest number of XDR-TB cases were recorded in the city in 2018 when 25 patients were diagnosed with the condition.In 2017, 12 patients were diagnosed with XDR TB, while eight and seven cases were reported in 2016 and 2015 respectively. Health officials had diagnosed the first patient with XDR-TB in Pune in 2013, the report said.

Health experts said the detection of XDR-TB cases is not surprising given the widespread prevalence of TB and the rising cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in India. Patients often not completing the recommended course of treatment is also a factor adding to the numbers.
“Most cases of XDR-TB involve patients belonging to the lower socio-economic strata. However, we have recently enrolled three patients with XDR-TB who are information technology (IT) professionals and belong to upper middle-class families,” said Vaishali Jadhav, city tuberculosis officer and assistant medical officer of health (AMoH), PMC.
PMC medical officer Dnyaneshwar Chakor, who is attached to the city TB unit, said, “Eight of our patients with XDR-TB have been put on a newly introduced drug Bedaquiline since September 2018. And two patients are on another newly introduced drug Delamanid from February 2019. These patients are responding to the new drugs very well.”
“There are two new anti-TB drugs for the resistant form of the disease. Bedaquiline is for patients above 18 years of age, while Delamanid is for patients in the age bracket of six-17 years,” said Nandakishore Deshmukh, the chief medical officer (CMO) of the State Tuberculosis Training and Demonstration Centre (STDC) at Aundh Chest Hospital, Pune.
People with drug-resistant TB remain infectious for much longer, even if treatment has been started, and this may prolong the risk of transmission in the household. “Therefore, patients are educated on cough etiquette and family members are also made aware of the precautions to be taken,” Chakor said.