Up to 22 patients diagnosed with tuberculosis in Ireland annually have a form of the disease resistant to at least one front line drug, according to a new report. It also noted the first case of a potentially lethal strain - XDR-TB - which is resistant to three or more of the main drugs used to treat the disease. The report from the disease watchdog, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre contains a range of recommendations for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB, which has seen a resurgence in Europe. Ireland is 15th in a table of 27 EU countries for TB occurrence - it is lowest in Cyprus and highest in Slovenia. "Since 1998 the number of foreign-born cases has tripled while Irish-born case numbers have declined overall," said the report. It found that in 2005 the crude rate of TB in the home-grown population was 8.3 per 100,000 and 24.8 per 100,000 in the foreign born. Of those born outside Ireland, 42% were born in Asia and 22.4% in Africa. It suggested all new entrants to Ireland who originate from a country with a high incidence of TB should be screened for the disease.
Hat tip, Hibernia Girl!
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