Aid workers say they have discovered the first cases of a highly drug-resistant strain of tuberculosis in Burmese migrants in Thailand.
The French aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Monday it confirmed two cases of XDR-TB in the town of Mae Sot. It added that doctors in the town have no drugs to treat the lung disease.
The World Health Organization says XDR-TB is uncommon and occurs as a result of poorly managed TB control programs. It adds that the disease can be treated and cured in some cases under proper control conditions if it is identified early.
Health experts warned earlier this year that infectious diseases in Burma, including tuberculosis, AIDS and drug-resistant malaria, are growing beyond the government's ability to control them.
