New research shows the diagnosis and management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) remains a serious challenge in six African countries.
An in-depth analysis of DR-TB data from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Niger, Senegal and Togo between 2018 and 2022, led by The Union, found that the diagnostic capacity for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) was “globally insufficient”.
During the five-year period, over 2,350 people were reported to have MDR-TB, with 86% receiving treatment, and 53 people with extensively drug-resistant TB also received treatment. While the gap between the expected number of people with MDR-TB and the number reported per country varied from 51.5% to 88%.
DR-TB is a form of TB disease that is resistant to TB medicines. In 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that there would be around 410,000 new people with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and rifampin-resistant TB (RR-TB) worldwide. In the same year, 22,495 people with MDR-TB were reported in the African region, 97% of which were under treatment.
Dr Kobto Ghislain Koura, Director of TB and co-author of the study, said: “Drug-resistant TB is a significant and growing public health problem, especially in resource-limited settings like these.
“In order to improve outcomes for people with TB and control the spread of the disease, comprehensive strategies required for identifying people with DR-TB and supporting them through their difficult treatment journeys.”
Positively, all those with DR-TB received free follow-up examinations, nutritional support and financial aid for travel expenses to their outpatient care and treatment centres. Although the MDR-TB treatment success rates varied across the countries – from 44 to 91%.
Despite considerable progress being made in each country, challenges remain in terms of screening and managing MDR-TB. The study identified that the current system for collecting and transporting samples was sometimes inoperative.
Dr Koura added: “Improved technical and financial resources are essential to improve access to rapid molecular screening tests and new treatment regimens.”
The recommendation of new treatment regimens, such as BPaL/BPaLM in 2023, their adoption has yet to materialise in these countries.
The research, funded by the Agence Française de Développement Group, collected data from the National TB Programs (NTPs) of each country, all of which are part of The Union’s Contributing to the Elimination of Tuberculosis in Africa (CETA) project.
Dr Koura concluded: “The knowledge exchange and skill pooling between the CETA project countries are playing a vital in developing real world solutions to the threat of MDR-TB. This collaborative effort must continue if we are to end TB.”
The study, titled ‘An Overview of the Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Six French-Speaking African Countries from 2018 to 2022’, was published in the Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease journal.