Intermediate Reference Laboratories [IRL] and their role

Some Culture and Drug Susceptibility Test (C&DST) laboratories host an Intermediate Reference Laboratory (IRL) under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). 

There is at least one IRL per state at an identified location, usually in a secondary or tertiary level public health facility. There are 34 IRLs in India.

The IRLs are responsible for:

Global TB Treatment Outcomes

  • Globally, an 86% treatment success rate is reported in people treated for TB with first-line regimens in 2019.
  • The figure below showcases the treatment outcomes for new and relapse TB cases as of 2019 (the latest annual patient cohort for which data are available).
  • Data for people who started treatment in 2020, which will become available in 2021, will be needed to assess the impact of disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reliability of a Test for Diagnosis of DR-TB

Reliability is a measure of a test’s performance. The reliability of a diagnostic test depends on theaccuracy and reproducibility of the test results.

 

In the context of Drug Resistant (DR) TB, the reliable test  should accurately be able to detect the DR-TB and provide important information that assists in the diagnosis, treatment, or monitoring of a patient with DR-TB, i.e., it should provide accurate Drug Susceptibility pattern of TB.

 

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