TASK Applied Science and Associates perform clinical trials in Tuberculosis in Cape Town, South Africa.
Background on Tuberculosis
Despite being a preventable and curable infectious disease, tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant threat to public health worldwide. Seven to eight million new cases and two to three million deaths are reported annually. TB is transmitted via airborne droplets expectorated from the lungs of people suffering from TB. TB is dramatically increasing in developing countries with high rates of HIV infection, which lowers immunity against TB.
The currently available diagnostic tests and treatment regimens are not sufficiently accurate and effective. A contributor to the low success rates of TB treatment is patient non-compliance with prescribed medication due to the long duration of treatment, which is currently at least 6 months, and the high number of tablets to be taken. The emergence of multi drug resistant (MDR) TB and extensively drug resistant (XDR) TB has further contributed to the difficulty in controlling and curing TB. Such forms of TB need prolonged treatment with multiple drugs for at least 18 months and cure is not always achieved. New methods for diagnosis and more effective anti-tuberculosis regimens are urgently needed to ensure shorter treatment duration and to combat drug resistant TB.
