Rapid TB Laboratory Diagnosis Service

	Rapid TB Laboratory Diagnosis Services

Tuberculosis is a very serious public health problem in Thailand. The problem becomes even more difficult with the AIDS epidemic. This will increase the number of TB patients. Moreover, the bacteria isolated from these patients develop drug-resistance more easily than in the past.

Rapid, accurate and precise tuberculosis laboratory diagnosis can help physicians to achieve efficient cure of their TB patients. This will reduce the cycle of spread of tuberculosis in the community.

Thus, a rapid tuberculosis laboratory diagnosis service (FasT Track) was established with the cooperation of the National Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (BIOTEC), the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) and the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University.

Fortunately, the "Drug -Resistant Tuberculosis Research Fund" was subsequently established under the Patronage to Her Royal Highness Princess Galayani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra . The principal purpose of this fund is to perform drug susceptibility testing free of charge for all TB-smear positive patients from public and governmental hospitals in Thailand. Both Fast Track and Direct Susceptibility are guides for physicians to help them cure their TB patients successfully.

OBJECTIVES

1. To propagandize knowledge and information about the cause, prevention, diagnosis and the correct treatment of TB patients and the patient's relatives to all concerned and interested parties.

2. To raise the awareness of health care among people and related units or organizations in order to increase co-operation both directy and indirecty to prevent and control tuberculosis.

3. To provide an information service for sending specimens and a convenient online reporting service via the internet for interested clinicians.

4. To collect and analyse all data concerning drug-resistant TB in Thailand to use as a reference for all physicians in order to prevent and treat drug-resistant TB more adequately.

5. To provide information about the co-operation efforts, objectives and results from Thai medical and public health units in the fight against this serious TB problem and to demonstrate Thailand's research ability in this area to an international audience.