Dong Nai, (VNA) - The first case of totallydrug-resistant tuberculosis in the southern province of Dong Nai is beingtreated at the provincial Lung Hospital.

The information was released by the hospital on February 14.

The 62-year-old patient, who remains anonymous, is from Bien Hoacity. He was hospitalised in September 2015 for treatment of drug-resistanttuberculosis.

Despite long-term treatment, his condition did not improve andhe still tested positive for tuberculosis bacteria.

The Dong Nai Lung Hospital sent his medical samples to HCMCity-based Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital for testing. Results revealed that hesuffered from totally drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Bui Van Thinh, head of the Tuberculosis Male Patient andDrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Ward under the provincial hospital, said thepatient is under treatment and supervision at the hospital.

At present, his condition is gradually improving and he hastested negative for tuberculosis bacteria.

Nguyen Ngoc Khanh, Director of the Dong Nai Lung Hospital, saidtotally drug-resistant tuberculosis was a dangerous disease and occurred inpatients suffering from drug-resistant tuberculosis, who did not receive propertreatment or caught the disease from another totally drug-resistanttuberculosis patients.

Treatment for totally drug-resistant tuberculosis was verydifficult and prolonged, while medicines to treat the disease had several sideeffects that could be fatal, he said.

Khanh said the tuberculosis could spread quickly, so thehospital had a separate area for drug-resistant tuberculosis patients, whichwas far from areas housing patients with other lung diseases.

The hospital warned that residents with symptoms of prolongedcoughing who had used different medication but their condition not improved andthose suffering from high temperature in the afternoon and were losing weightshould visit the hospital for timely treatment.-VNA