§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the letter of 12 January (POH(3) 5437/68), what recent action he has taken to combat drug-resistant TB. [87389]
§ Ms Jowell[holding answer 29 June 1999]: Work to combat drug-resistant and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is continuing. The United Kingdom has heightened its surveillance of drug and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis through a scheme co-ordinated by the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) through the UK Mycobacterial Resistance Network. Work has also commenced on enhanced surveillance of tuberculosis cases which should improve monitoring. The appointment of Regional Epidemiologists should help towards a more co-ordinated approach. The activities of the PHLS are now co-ordinated through the new Tuberculosis Programme. The PHLS has developed and made available more rapid diagnostic and drug susceptibility tests for tuberculosis, which can be used where there is a presence of risk factors which might predispose towards multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. A report by the Interdepartmental Working Group on Tuberculosis, "UK guidance for prevention and control of the transmission of HIV-related and drug resistant, including multiple drug-resistant, tuberculosis", was published in September 1998.