Tuberculosis Consultant Services

Benin and the Ivory Coast introduced rifampicin into their respective program at the same time, 12 years before the above survey of drug resistance among previously never treated patients. Only one out of 333 patients in Benin, but 17 out of 320 in the Ivory Coast had resistance to both isoniazid and rifampicin.

In Benin, The Union recommended regimen was used, i.e., a two-month intensive phase with four drugs, all given directly observed, followed by a six-month, self-administered continuation phase with thioacetazone and isoniazid. In the Ivory Coast a six-month rifampicin throughout regimen was used with little or no observation of drug intake.

In Benin, virtually all new patients remain curable, in the Ivory Coast one in every 20 is now incurable from the outset.