EDITORIAL COMMENTARY TIME TO DEVELOP CAPACITY TO DIAGNOSE DRUG RESISTANT TUBERCULOSIS

Tertiary facilities in Ghana are re-positioning them-selves to handle specifically Multi- drug resistant (MDR) and extensively drug resistant(X-DR) tubercu-losis. MDR-TB is defined as TB caused by organisms that are resistant to isoniazid and rifampicin, two first line anti-TB drugs. XDR-TB is defined as MDR-TB, that is resistant as well to anyone of the fluoroquin-olones and at least one of the three injectable second line drugs (amikacin, capreomycin or kanamycin).1 MDR/XDR-TB is not only a threat to TB control ef-forts countrywide but a global threat.2 In this issue of the journal, Forson et al (page 42) pre-sent findings from a drug resistance study among chronic pulmonary TB cases.The authors rightly have admitted to major limitation of the study and advis