Introduction to drug-resistant TB

Clinical description

The main reasons for the development of DR-TB under programmatic conditions are:

• On-going transmission of resistant strains from person to person
• Inadequate treatment leading to direct or indirect monotherapy which is mainly

categorized as health care factors (providers and program), drug related factors, patient related factors.

There are four principal ways to prevent drug-resistant TB:

• Early detection and high-quality treatment of drug-susceptible and drug resistant TB;
• Good TB infection control measures to minimise the risk of TB transmission within

populations;

• Health system strengthening and regulation and access to TB diagnostics and drugs;
• Addressing underlying risk factors and social determinants of TB.

10.2 Overall services arrangement for programmatic management of drug- resistant TB