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Unified action: The only way forward to control TB
New
Delhi 23 March:
Progress in reducing the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases stands at a
crossroads today. While over 87% of the two million TB patients in the
South-East Asia Region are being treated successfully every year, multidrug drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and HIV-associated
TB pose a serious threat to the gains achieved so far.
“We simply must
stop TB. This succinct but compelling message implies a shared responsibility
for unified action at all levels, by health-care providers, national and
international partners and communities to control and eliminate TB”, said Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s Regional Director for South-East
Asia.
Annually over
10% of the estimated 3.6 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the Region
are likely to develop active TB. Hence, it is critical that both HIV/AIDS and
TB control programmes ensure that the benefits of
expanding access to HIV counselling, testing and
care, including access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), reach TB patients who
also have HIV.
Levels of
drug-resistance in TB patients in most parts of the Region are still low at
less than 3%, due to good implementation of basic DOTS. However, given the
large number of TB patients, this represents over 150 000 new patients with
MDR-TB every year. “Widespread unregulated use of anti-TB drugs outside of
national programmes is our major concern in the
context of drug resistant TB,” stressed Dr Plianbangchang.
Increasing
investments in health-care systems are essential to ensuring that all TB
patients have equitable access to free and quality care at all health care
facilities at the primary level. What is also urgently required is that all
health professionals, from both the public and private sectors, adhere
strictly to internationally recommended standards for TB care, and that
appropriate measures are duly implemented to contain unregulated use of
anti-TB drugs to prevent the emergence of drug resistance.
For more information please contact: Ms Vismita Gupta-Smith, Public Information
and Advocacy Officer, WHO South-East Asian Regional Office (SEARO), New
Delhi, Tel: 91-11-23309401, e-mail: guptasmithv@searo.who.int or Ms Shima Roy Communication Officer at telephone: 011 2330 9591; e-mail roys@searo.who.int
All press releases, fact sheets and other WHO media material may be found at: www.searo.who.int.
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