Indian doctors have reported the country's first cases of "totally drug-resistant tuberculosis," a long-feared and virtually untreatable form of the killer lung disease.
It's not the first time highly resistant cases like this have been seen. Since 2003, patients have been documented in Italy and Iran. It has mostly been limited to impoverished areas, and has not spread widely. But experts believe there could be many undocumented cases.
The article also touches on the problem that the Dalits (Untouchables) have in getting adequate health care in India.
It was written awhile ago, and I don't remember if it touches on antibiotic-resistant TB, but there was a book I got from the library last year that is called The White Death: A History of Tuberculosis. It's worth a read. What can I say? I find epidemiology and the sociology of disease to be interesting. I also own a book called Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence. It's fascinating.