Hanoi’s anti-tuberculosis efforts prove effective

Hanoi (VNA) - Hanoi’s tuberculosis (TB) prevention programme was effectively implemented in all communes and wards in 2020, benefiting all the population of the capital city.

In the first nine months, 16,046 local people suspected of suffering from TB were examined, with 1,156 testing positive.

The programme helped detect and treat 2,821 TB cases of all types.

The management and treatment of TB patients has seen satisfactory results, with 1,233 people cured out of 1,289 TB AFB (acid fast bacilli) (+) cases, or 95.6 percent.

There were 184 out of 201 TB AFB (+) patients with bacteriological evidence who recovered from the disease, or 91.6 percent.

Hanoi has realised the goals set in the National Strategy for TB Prevention and Control by 2020 with a vision towards 2030, with 80 percent of new cases of AFB (+) being detected and 92 percent of detected patients recovering from the disease.

The positive results are attributed to Hanoi’s extensive anti-TB network in all districts, communes, wards and towns, and the application of modern techniques to quickly and effectively treat diagnosed cases.

Attention has also been paid to promoting communications to raise public awareness about the dangers of TB.

TB remains the leading cause of death in the world, resulting in nearly 2 million fatalities every year, with drug-resistant TB threatening global health. In Vietnam, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that there are nearly 130,000 new cases of TB diagnosed each year, resulting in some 16,000 deaths in the country in 2015.

Vietnam is 16th among 30 countries with the highest number of TB patients in the world, and is 13th among 30 countries facing the burden of multi drug-resistant TB.

The country is leading, however, in TB prevention efforts. The rate of successful treatment of multi drug-resistant TB is over 70 percent; much higher than the global average of 54 percent.

Thanks to early detection and treatment, TB-related deaths fell by 3,000 during 2015-2016. Vietnam has set a target of cutting the number of TB infections by 30 percent and fatalities by 40 percent during 2015-2020./.