Medicins Sans Frontières (MSF) is calling on governments and donors to speed up access to new, shorter, safer and more effective treatments for drug resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) ahead of tomorrow’s World TB Day.

MSF, also wants the diagnostic tests needed to implement the new treatment regimens to be availed as incidence of TB per 100,000 people in Kenya was reported at 251 in 2021. This is according to the World Bank in New findings published early this month.

While there is TB in every part of the world, 30 high-TB burden countries, including Kenya, account for 86 percent of new cases each year. India is reported to lead in the count with roughly one-quarter of the world’s TB cases. MSF joined the World Health Organisation and other actors in a ‘Call to Action’ ahead of World TB Day.

“As Doctors Without Borders we are urging the US-based diagnostics corporation Cepheid to drop the price of the critical GeneXpert tests to ensure that people with DR-TB can be diagnosed in time to access the shorter and safer treatment regimens,” says an expert at the organisation who sought anonymity.