The effectiveness of drugs to fight tuberculosis or TB has been put under the spotlight after research showed that resistance to TB medication has hit record highs in some parts of the world.

TB is a common and often lethal infection which attacks the lungs.

The new research published by the World Health Organization (WHO) says that some countries are reporting that the drugs are no longer effective in more than 65 per cent of patients who have been treated for TB.

The problem is particularly acute in Botswana and Swaziland and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Patrick Maigua has been speaking to Dr Dennis Falzon from the WHO Stop TB Department about multi-drug resistant tuberculosis or MDR-TB as it’s commonly known.

Duration: 4’17” [early out 2’54” “more expensive”]