Letter: Treating TB

Sir: The way Giles O'Bryen caught TB ("I still have no idea how I caught TB", 9 December) probably has something to do with the ease and frequency of international travel these days, breaking down the boundaries between Europe and those Third World countries where TB is endemic.

Mr O'Bryen was lucky that he caught a treatable form of the disease. Increasingly, on account of the failure of patients to complete their courses of treatment, multidrug-resistant strains are appearing, requiring much longer and more expensive treatment. As 95 per cent of patients are in developing countries which cannot afford such courses, TB is well on the way to becoming virtually untreatable, and it isn't going to stay "over there". In a few years' time, Mr O'Bryen's case may not be a one- off curiosity.

The World Health Organisation's new DOTS strategy (Directly Observed Treatment Short-course) has been achieving success rates of up to 93 per cent. The world needs to get behind this, quickly.

BILL LINTON

London N13