The World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam said that the Southeast Asian country has seen an increasing number of tuberculosis (TB) patients, calling for sustained commitments to the fight against TB and drug resistant TB. The call was made on the occasion of the World TB Day, March 24. “WHO will continue to work with the national TB program to introduce new medicines and technology to address evolving challenges such as drug resistant TB,” said acting WHO representative Jeffery Kobza in a statement. Vietnam ranks 13th among 22 countries with the highest TB burden in the world. The nation has made remarkable progress in the fight against TB and hit the millennium development goals relating to TB ahead of the 2015 deadline. The number of people dying of TB in Vietnam dropped annually from 52 out of 100,000 people in 1990 to 19 out of 100,000 people in 2013. Besides, TB deaths and prevalence have declined by over 50% since 1990. WHO, however, estimated around 130,000 TB cases occurred in Vietnam in 2013, or 144 out of 100,000. TB concentrates in vulnerable populations like migrants, children, older people and the poor. In addition, there were around 5,000 multidrug-resistant TB cases happening in Vietnam in 2013, according to WHO. Besides the Stop TB Strategy (2006-2015) and the End TB Strategy (2016-2035), WHO has supported Vietnam in early detection and treatment of drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB. Timely TB detection and treatment can be assured by strengthening partnerships between the national TB program and other healthcare services. WHO is also supporting the introduction of new regimens and new drugs for drug-resistant TB to give patients suffering from drug-resistant forms of TB a better chance to be cured. (Phap Luat & Xa Hoi – Law & Society Mar 24, thesaigontimes.vn Mar 26)
