What causes MDR-TB?
MDR-TB is caused by poorly managed treatment of TB disease: when patients do not take all their medicines regularly for the required period because they start to feel better, when health workers prescribe the wrong drugs or the wrong combination of drugs, or when the drug supply is unreliable or of poor quality. When patients fail to complete treatment regimens or receive incorrect treatment, they may remain infectious. Bacteria in their lungs may develop resistance to certain anti-TB drugs, which then can no longer kill the bacteria. People they infect will acquire the same drug-resistant strain. When drug treatment stops, the bacteria build up resistance to medication, reducing options for further treatment. The end result is MDR-TB, a form of TB that doesn’t respond to treatment. Who is at risk for MDR-TB? Drug resistance is more common in people who: • Have spent time with someone with drug-resistant TB disease. • Do not take their prescribed medicine regularly. • Do not take all t
