A brief Tuberculosis remedy regimen of six months referred to as BPaL, as compared to the standard 18-month protocols, has received the scientific approval. BPaL went through trials in a number of countries exhibiting it had “favourable outcomes” in 84% to 94% of the sickest TB sufferers.
Details –
- A brief Tuberculosis remedy regimen of six months referred to as BPaL, as compared to the standard 18-month protocols, has received the scientific approval.
- BPaL is a combination of three newer antibiotics – bedaquiline, pretomanid and linezolid.
- In India, the drug is still under clinical trials.
What is ‘Tuberculosis’?
- TB is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person. Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria is responsible for TB.
- It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.
- TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it’s treated with the right antibiotics.
Types of Tuberculosis –
- Pulmonary TB —
- TB that affects the lungs (pulmonary TB) is the most contagious type, but it usually only spreads after prolonged exposure to someone with the illness.
- In most healthy people, the body’s natural defence against infection and illness (the immune system) kills the bacteria and there are no symptoms.
- Latent TB —
- Sometimes the immune system cannot kill the bacteria, but manages to prevent it spreading in the body.
- You will not have any symptoms, but the bacteria will remain in your body. This is known as latent TB.
- People with latent TB are not infectious to others.
- Active TB —
- If the immune system fails to kill or contain the infection, it can spread within the lungs or other parts of the body and symptoms will develop within a few weeks or months. This is known as active TB.
- About one-quarter of the world’s population is estimated to be infected by TB bacteria but out of these only 5-15% of people will fall ill with active TB disease.
- Latent TB could develop into an active TB disease at a later date, particularly if your immune system becomes weakened.
Treatment –
- With treatment, TB can almost always be cured. A course of antibiotics will usually need to be taken for 6 -18 months.
- Several different antibiotics are used because some forms of TB are resistant to certain antibiotics.
Tuberculosis in India –
- The total number of incident TB patients (new and relapse) notified during 2021 in India were 19.33 lakh as opposed to that of 16.28 lakh in 2020.
- India continues to have the largest share of the global TB burden.
- India’s National TB Elimination Programme is strengthened to meet the goal of ending the TB epidemic by 2025 from the country, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for 2030.
- The National Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Elimination (2017-2025) was developed to achieve the goal.
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