New study suggests that drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) may become a more common problem in the future.
In 2007 the World Health Organization (WHO), estimated that there was over 9.27 million cases of TB worldwide. It is estimated that 1 in 3 carry the TB bacteria, most without showing any symptoms.
The new research has shown that drug resistant TB is very persistent and can spread as easily as normal versions of the virus. These new findings contradict previous studies and imply that drug-resistant strains of TB are likely to become highly prevalent.
TB bacteria can become resistant to antibiotics if a patient is given the wrong treatment, a patient takes the wrong dose or if a patient does not complete the full course of drugs.