TB, Other Drug-Resistant Diseases On The Rise In The United States

Main Category: Tuberculosis
Also Included In: Respiratory / Asthma;  Public Health
Article Date: 07 Jun 2007 - 0:00 PDT

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In light of recent media attention surrounding Andrew Speaker, the Atlanta man diagnosed with extensive drug- resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB), NTM Info & Research (NTMir) is throwing its support behind the American Lung Association's call for increased funding of TB and also calls for funding of pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease (NTM).

The two diseases affect patients in a similar way, as both damage lungs and are frequently drug-resistant. In recent years there has been a marked increase in severely drug-resistant strains of both TB and NTM across the United States. NTM has an environmental source and affects many more Americans than does TB. Pulmonary NTM, currently believed to be far more prevalent than TB within the United States, is commonly found in water and soil in the U.S., and is considered to be more drug-resistant than most TB.

As you continue to monitor the story of the XDR TB patient, please consider including more information in your reports regarding these issues - it would be of great service to your readership and to the general public.

NTMir is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed by patients with pulmonary NTM disease, in cooperation with their physicians. For more information, please visit http://www.ntminfo.org.

NTMir
http://www.ntminfo.org

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