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Tuberculosis

SMRU’s TB programme operates in two clinics along the Thai-Myanmar border, with laboratory and logistical support in Mae Sot. Here, an SMRU staff prepares a TB patient’s daily drug cocktail as the patient waits © 2019 MORU
SMRU’s TB programme operates in two clinics along the Thai-Myanmar border, with laboratory and logistical support in Mae Sot. Here, an SMRU staff prepares a TB patient’s daily drug cocktail as the patient waits

TB Programme achievements

The TB programme operates in two clinics along the Thai-Myanmar border, with laboratory and logistical support in Mae Sot. Between 2015 and December 2018, 1519 TB cases were diagnosed, 1204 enrolled for treatment under SMRU-TB, with a success rate at 3 years (2015-2017) of 83%. The HIV co-infection rate was 18%; MDR-TB was present in around 4%. Histories and mapping of MDR-TB patients demonstrate contact with high numbers of people and potential for transmission across a wide geographic range, without effective treatment (Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2017 Jul 1;21(7):753-758. doi: 10.5588/ijtld.16.0658.)

Ongoing pharmacokinetic study

Studying the blood levels of first-line anti-tuberculosis drugs in relation to treatment outcomes among newly diagnosed adults with pulmonary tuberculosis on the Thai-Myanmar Border. The study began in 2015, with 61 patients recruited. Samples are in the MORU pharmacology lab for assays.