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Letter to the Editor about Drug-Resistant TB

"XDR-TB sounds a clamorous warning: without the political will to control TB, we will not only fail to defeat HIV but may enable the rise of an incurable, airborne disease."                  - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The WHO released a report in 2008 (Anti-TB Drug Resistance in the World) about the rising incidence and global status of drug-resistant TB. Look for a hook in your local paper and write a letter to the editor that warns of the threat of drug-resistant TB and the need to increase resources to fight this deadly, airborne disease.

What to Include in Your Letter
Background Information and Talking Points
Sample Letter 

If you get a letter published, make sure to send us a copy at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR LETTER

1. Introduce the topic by connecting your letter with another story that has run recently in the paper – it can be about other threatening diseases, homeland security, poverty, or anything with which you can make a connection. If there is no appropriate article, then think of a recent event or happening – nationally or preferably locally – that you can connect with the threat of drug-resistant TB.

2. Mention the recent WHO report that addresses the alarming spread of drug-resistant TB, Anti-TB Drug Resistance in the World. Let the readers know that drug-resistant TB threatens a global epidemic and all progress made against HIV/AIDS. Pick out a couple key points to highlight, such as:

• Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) has now been found in 45 countries.
• Drug-resistant TB is flourishing because the world has failed to adequately detect and treat normal TB. It is entirely man-made.
  
• TB is the biggest killer of people with HIV/AIDS. Drug-resistant TB threatens to undermine all the good work being done to stop AIDS
• The extent of the problem could well be grossly underestimated, as most African nations lack the capacity to test for drug-resistant TB, especially XDR-TB

3. Assert that strong commitments are needed from governments to fight drug-resistant TB. Call on your local elected official to take a stand against TB.

4. Keep it short! About 150 words.

Tips for writing powerful letters to the editors 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND TALKING POINTS

TB claims the lives of 1.7 million people each year and is the leading infectious killer of people living with HIV/AIDS. At the end of February 2008, the WHO released its first report on drug-resistant TB since extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) was detected two years ago (Anti-TB Drug Resistance in the World). The most comprehensive global survey ever done with data from over 80 countries, it finds multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) at the highest rates ever recorded, at nearly half a million new cases of MDR-TB a year, making it clear that more resources must be made available, especially in high-risk areas, to quell the upsurge in deadly drug resistance. The report finds that extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), which has demonstrated death rates approaching 100 percent in some settings, has been identified in 45 countries, however there are major gaps in our knowledge of how dire the situation actually is — particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where countries lack the lab capacity to even detect drug-resistant TB.

New Data Warns XDR-TB Increasing at an Alarming Rate

• Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has now been reported in 45 countries, including all G8 countries. XDR-TB is likely under-reported, as very few endemic countries have the laboratory capacity to detect drug resistance.
• XDR-TB is resistant to not only the most effective first-line drugs, but also to critical second-line drugs. In some sampled populations, fatality rates approach 100%. A result of improper treatment and management of regular TB, XDR-TB is entirely man-made.
• In 2008, the World Health Organization estimates there were at least 440,000 new cases of MDR-TB and 40,000 new cases of XDR-TB globally.
• New evidence suggests that some strains of XDR-TB can pass from person to person at a more rapid rate than other non-resistant strains. Because TB is contagious and airborne, XDR-TB poses a critical threat to global health.
• Current methods of testing for drug resistance can take between 6 to 16 weeks, so many patients with drug-resistant TB die before the disease can be accurately diagnosed.

Drug-Resistant TB Threatens Progress in the Fight against HIV/AIDS

• TB is the number one infectious killer among HIV-positive persons and kills up to half of all AIDS patients worldwide.
• Due to the high risk of death for HIV-positive patients with XDR-TB (even those on ARVs), XDR-TB threatens to reverse progress made against HIV/AIDS.
• People with HIV are up to 50 times more likely to develop TB in a given year than HIV-negative people. Without proper treatment, 90% of those living with HIV die within months of contracting TB.

New Resources and Political Commitment are Desperately Needed

• XDR-TB does not have to be a death sentence. With early and accurate diagnosis and access to all second-line drugs, countries with good TB control programs have demonstrated that a cure rate of 50–60% is possible.
• TB programs must be strengthened and expanded to prevent drug resistance. Increased resources are needed to support better diagnostics, lab strengthening, and patient follow-up.
• XDR-TB demonstrates the desperate need for new drugs and diagnostics. No new TB drugs or diagnostic tests have emerged in 40 years, and no effective TB vaccine exists. Investments in research and development for new TB tools represent just one-tenth of investments for HIV/AIDS tools.
• Surveillance must be strengthened to identify where XDR and MDR-TB already exist, particularly in Africa.
• Infection control measures must be fortified. More resources are needed to support TB control programs. Cost-effective infection control measures could reduce the spread of XDR-TB by 50%, even before new tools are developed.
• MDR and XDR treatment must be scaled up to increase access, especially to the very poor, in order to meet the emerging threat’s toll.

SAMPLE LETTER

This is just an example! You will need to use a hook from your local paper and the appropriate talking points above to write an effective letter that will be published.

To the Editor:

The story that ran on 5 June 2008 about border security did not touch on one critical threat – the spread of extremely dangerous drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis across borders. A recent WHO report states that extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) has now been found in 45 countries, including all G8 countries. Drug-resistant TB is flourishing because the world has failed to adequately treat normal TB. And in our interconnected world, TB anywhere is TB everywhere.

Unfortunately, nothing can be done at the borders themselves to stop TB – the disease can be undetectable and is easily spread through the air. But much can be done through increasing resources to fight this curable disease. With early and accurate diagnosis and access to all second-line drugs, countries have demonstrated that a cure rate of 50–60% is possible. Cost-effective infection control measures could reduce the spread of XDR-TB by 50%. There is a path to beating back drug-resistant TB, and our government needs to provide the resources to follow this path.

Sincerely,
Your Name