What We Do
MSF provides free, comprehensive and individualized treatment at its independent clinic in Mumbai to people with severe forms of Drug resistant Tuberculosis (DRTB). Patients seen by MSF have previously been treated with ineffective regimens for several years by public and private practitioners. Some are believed to have been directly infected in the community by extensively resistant strains.
MSF also supports DRTB diagnostics and treatment at Public DOTS plus centre in Mumbai east ward in collaboration with National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.
- Maharashtra
India has the world’s highest burden of TB. As per the 2021 WHO Global Tuberculosis report, India accounts for 26% of global cases, which is more than double the burden of the next country,
China (8.5% of global cases). India accounted for 34% of global TB deaths (with 300,000 deaths projected each year i.e. over 800 per day). Limited national surveys estimated multi drug resistance levels of 3% among new TB cases and 12-17% among previously treated cases.
Emergence of MDR and XDRTB has become a major public health problem in India.
In 2022
MSF continued providing a salvage regimen for a complex cohort of DRTB patients referred from across Mumbai. Additionally, MSF extended support in home-based palliative care to a limited number of DRTB patients. The diagnosis of TB in Pediatric cases was strengthened especially among malnourished
children by using newer sensitive molecular diagnostic tools as recommended by World Health Organization (WHO).
