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The United States is working with
Indonesia to fight TB, especially multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB), according to
local media in Jakarta. As part of its efforts, the United States has pledged
it will send 17 GeneXpert machines to help Indonesia diagnose TB more rapidly.
The GeneXpert “offers a key
advantage, as it is really fast,” Kerri-Ann Jones, a US Department of State
official, was quoted by the Jakarta Post as saying during a visit Monday. “You
can have a diagnosis in only a couple of hours. Usually, it takes a couple of
days or even longer. That is important because we don’t want patients to leave
only to find out that they’re infected, infecting other people in the meantime
because they didn’t get immediate treatment.”
During her visit to Jakarta, Jones
toured the microbiology lab at the University of Indonesia’s School of
Medicine, where one of the GeneXpert machines already has been installed. Four
others also have been installed in hospitals and laboratories.
“We will install the remainder in
several other hospitals and laboratories after we complete studies on how the
equipment will work in a more effective and efficient way both in diagnosing TB
and [MDR TB],” said Dyah Erti Mustikawati, the director of TB control with
Indonesia’s Health Ministry.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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