[Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine] High Rates of Death Amongst People With Multidrug-Resistant TB Both During and Beyond Treatment in Sierra Leone, Research Shows

19 May 2026

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine news release

A new study in Sierra Leone led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine has highlighted a high mortality rate among people with multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), including amongst those who had successfully completed treatment, showing how the disease continues to threaten efforts to end the global TB epidemic.

The new research is the first national study of its kind in Africa to show mortality rates for people with MDR-TB following successful treatment, and to identify risk factors for adverse outcomes before, during, and beyond, treatment.

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Africa, found that one in ten people with MDR-TB who successfully completed treatment and were followed up by the Sierra Leone National TB Programme, had died within the next 12 months. These deaths of people with MDR-TB were associated with a range of medical and social factors, including HIV, smoking and chronic lung disease.

Read the full news release here.

Source: Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine