Myanmar Seeks New Ways to Tackle Urgent Health Threat of Drug-Resistant TB

Drawing by George Butler The entrance to MSF's Hlaingtharyar Clinic in Yangon. Yangon/New York, August 22, 2013—The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Myanmar’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization will host a symposium this week exploring new ways to accelerate access to treatment for drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) throughout the country. The symposium, Turning the Tide on TB: Tackling DR-TB/HIV-co-infection in Myanmar, will be held today and tomorrow in Yangon. The symposium will see experts from Myanmar and other high-burden TB countries, along with international leaders in the field, come together to share their knowledge and experience in tackling DR-TB. Opportunities to improve treatment and increase cure rates through patient-centered approaches to care, new diagnostics and new drugs will be discussed, as well as the specific needs of marginalized groups such as prisoners and migrant workers. “High-burden TB countries must show leadership in tackling this crisis and seize new ways to increase DR-TB care today, as well as push for access to new drugs for tomorrow,” said Dr. Unni Karunakara, MSF’s international president. “Myanmar is demonstrating this leadership through its expanding DR-TB program, yet there remains a long way to go. Strengthened partnerships and innovation are needed at all levels—national and ...
Source: MSF News - Category: Global & Universal Source Type: news