Vietnam Dong Nai Records First Totally Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Case

Vietnam’s southern province of Dong Nai has recorded the first case of totally drug-resistant tuberculosis, according to the provincial Lung Hospital. The 62-year-old patient is from Bien Hoa city. He was hospitalized in September 2015 for treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Despite long-term treatment, his condition did not improve and he still tested positive for tuberculosis bacteria. The Dong Nai Lung Hospital sent his medical samples to Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital in Ho Chi Minh for testing. Results revealed that he suffered from totally drug-resistant tuberculosis. At present, his condition is gradually improving and he has tested negative for tuberculosis bacteria, said Bui Van Thinh, head of the Tuberculosis Male Patient and Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Ward under the provincial hospital. Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, Director of the Dong Nai Lung Hospital, said totally drug-resistant tuberculosis was a dangerous disease and occurred in patients suffering from drug-resistant tuberculosis, who did not receive proper treatment or caught the disease from another totally drug-resistant tuberculosis patients. Treatment for totally drug-resistant tuberculosis was very difficult and prolonged, while medicines to treat the disease had several side effects that could be fatal, he said. (tuoitre.vn Feb 15, vietnamplus.vn Feb 14)