Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis a Menace to the Control of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis

Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis is a great challenge for the treating physicians and has baffled the health care providers, tuberculosis control programme managers, as well as the patients. Extensively Drug resistant uberculosis is a form of Tuberculosis caused by the mycobacteria resistant to the most effective anti tuberculosis drugs such as rifampicin and isoniazid as well as to any member of quinolone family and at least one of the second line injectable drugs - kanamycin, amikacin or capreomycin. XDR TB carries a fivefold increase in the risk of death compared to patients with MDR TB. The state of Sikkim has 420 Multi drug resistant tuberculosis cases including seven cases of Extensively Drug Resistant Tuberculosis.