Serious thought has been put to isolation procedures that may deny some patients their human rights, but which may be necessary to prevent further spread of this strain of TB. Treatment of MDR-TB
The treatment and prognosis of MDR-TB are much more akin to that for cancer than to that for infection. It has a mortality rate of up to 80%, which depends on a number of factors, including

How many drugs the organism is resistant to (the fewer the better),
How many drugs the patient is given (patients treated with five or more drugs do better),
Whether an injectable drug is given or not (it should be given for the first three months at least),
The expertise and experience of the physician responsible,
How co-operative the patient is with treatment (treatment is arduous and long, and requires persistence and determination on the part of the patient),
Whether the patient is HIV positive or not (HIV co-infection is associated with an increased mortality).Treatment courses are a minimum of 18 months and may last years; it may require surgery, though death rates remain high despite optimal treatment. That said, good outcomes are still possible. Treatment courses that are at least 18 months long and which have a directly observed component can increase cure rates to 69%.The treatment of MDR-TB must be undertaken by a physician experienced in the treatment of MDR-TB. Mortality and morbidity in patients treated in non-specialist centres is significantly elevated compared to those patients treated in specialist centres.
Efavirenz levels should be checked early after starting treatment (unfortunately, this is not a service routinely offered in the US, but is readily available in the UK). The protease inhibitors should be avoided if at all possible: patients on rifamycins and protease inhibitors have an increased risk of treatment failure or relapse.The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against using thioacetazone in patients with HIV, because of the 23% risk of potentially fatal exfoliative dermatitis.According to Caprisa 003 (SAPiT) Study the mortality in patients who were started on anti-retrovirals during TB treatment was 56% lower than those started after TB treatment was completed (hazard ratio 0.44 (95% CI: 0.25 to 0.79); p=0.003). Epilepsy
INH may be associated with an increased risk of seizures. Pyridoxine 10 mg daily should be given to all epileptics taking INH. There is no evidence that INH causes seizures in patients who are not epileptic. TB treatment involves numerous drug interactions with anti-epileptic drugs and serum drug levels should be closely monitored. There are serious interactions between rifampicin and carbamazepine, rifampicin and phenytoin, and rifampicin and sodium valproate. The advice of a pharmacist should always be sought. Covid- 19
TB and COVID-19 are a "cursed duet" and need immediate attention. TB should be considered a risk factor for severe COVID disease and patients with TB should be prioritised for COVID-19 preventative efforts, including vaccination. Drug-resistance
Definitions
Multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is defined as TB that is resistant at least to INH and RMP.