Funding for New Diagnostics of MDR-TB

As repoted in http://www.worldcarecouncil.org/content/finally-good-news-mdr-tb-diagnostics-are-coming by Comrades, there is a new agreement signed between UNITAID, WHO, FIND, GLI and GDF for supporting the new diagnostics for MDR TB.

MDR TB (Multi Drugs Resistance of Tuberculosis), a condition that there are resistance cases to more than one TB drugs that caused TB treatment unsuccessful. This has made the case increased and needed new diagnostic for MDR TB and new drugs as well.

The project called EXPAND TB (Expanding access to new diagnostics for TB) which goal is to accelerate access to diagnosis for patients at risk of MDR TB. These are the partners:

UNITAID, is giving fund $ 26 million and will be expanded to $ 87 million for the project. The 16 targeted countries (2008 - 2011) are: Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Côte d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Myanmar, Lesotho, the Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam. The next project (2011-2013) will be included 11 other countries: Cameroon, Djibouti, Haiti, India, Kenya, Peru, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Senegal, Swaziland and Zambia.

This is a good opportunity for Indonesia as a high burden countries for TB cases in world to strengthen the Laboratory access for new diagnostics. Supplyng the tools and training for laboratory test.