China struggling with rise in drug-resistant TB cases

Economic constraints are likely to hinder China's ongoing fight against tuberculosis over the coming years, it has been reported.

At present, the country has the second-highest number of TB cases in the world, after India, with the country struggling to cope with a rise in drug-resistant forms of the disease.

Although the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that all TB treatment be provided free of charge, tens of thousands of Chinese are unable to afford medication.

Failing to finish a course of treatment before the bacteria is fully eliminated exacerbating the problem by enabling the disease to mutate and become resistant to standard, affordable, drugs.

"When these patients infect others, the others will get drug-resistant TB," Lin Yan, China's in-country director for the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease explained to Reuters.

"That increases the cost of treating that person and increases the chances of him not recovering."

It is currently estimated that around a third of the world's population are infected with M tuberculosis, with one new infection occurring every second.

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