TB that does not respond to treatment by drugs is spreading at epidemic rates in the world. This type of TB is called Multi-Drug Resistant TB or MDR TB. According to WHO, India and China harbor nearly 50% of MDR TB patients. This report was released on Friday.

The report declared that nearly 4.4 lakh people globally got infected with MDR TB in 2008 while 1.5 lakh succumbed to it. It is estimated that 9.4 million cases of new TB developed in 2008 with 1.8 million deaths.

In India, 3% of all new TB cases are drug resistant. The number of TB cases in Indonesia is also alarming. World Health Organization (WHO) discloses that the incidence of TB cases in Indonesia is 253 out of 100,000 citizens.

Treatment in most countries is sluggish. Out of the cases detected worldwide only 60% were cured. However, only 7% of all MDR-TB patients are diagnosed.

MDR TB poses challenges for treatment. Weighed against the 6-month treatment schedule for normal TB MDR TB treatment is more complex. It can take up to two years or more and involves the use of drugs that have a lower efficacy and are extra toxic.