The Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Research Fund, which operates under the Siriraj Foundation, claims 13 Thai cases fitted the World Health Organisation (WHO) definition of extensively drug-resistant (XDR).

But Dr Thawat Suntra-jarn, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, said he could not accept the results because tests had been conducted by a laboratory outside the ministry.

"The official information to show whether we have XDR cases must only come from a laboratory of the ministry," he said.

Thawat claimed the research fund's laboratory was not certified by the WHO.

He said he would ask for samples of all 13 cases to be examined at the ministry's laboratory.

Research fund chairman Dr Manoon Leechaweng-wong said he was willing to give the samples to the ministry, but doubted the efficiency of the ministry to test whether they were infected with XDR.

He admitted his laboratory was not certified by the WHO, but claimed it was the only laboratory in the country that could conduct sensibility tests of TB to second-line drugs.

"If we are talking about WHO-certified labs to test the sensibility of TB to second-line drugs, the ministry does not have one either," Manoon said.

Treatment options for patients with XDR-TB are severely limited.

In many countries, movement of such patients is restricted to reduce the chance of spreading the disease.

Manoon said he wanted the WHO to take the samples of the 13 cases for testing in its reference laboratory.

Since the issue of XDR-TB hit the world headlines last month, the Health Ministry has insisted there are no Thai cases.

The United States invoked a law, unused for 44 years, to isolate and detain a lawyer with XDR-TB after he was able to travel from Europe to the US via Canada.

Pennapa Hongthong

The Nation