"Poor diagnostic practices in this sector prolong Tuberculosis transmission by delaying diagnosis, whereas a general lack of counselling and support of treatment adherence hampers successful, relapse-free cure," said the study. "Moreover, most cases treated in the private sector are never notified to public health authorities. "Analysing sales patterns of 189 drugs containing rifampicin -- a key anti-TB formulation -- over 2013 and 2014, the researchers estimated how many were sold to the private sector. Most people infected with it have latent tuberculosis, where the bacteria are walled off in clumps by the cells of the immune system. If a drug doesn't kill the bacteria completely, it becomes immune to that drug and can eventually overwhelm the immune system.

Source: Economic Times September 05, 2016 10:44 UTC