Later this year, Vietnam will become the first country that treatsmultidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) cases with new medicines, a healthofficial has said.
Dr. Nguyen Duc Chinh from the managementboard of the National TB Programme said two new medicines have beenaccepted so far. By 2018, vaccines that are more potent than BacillusCalmette-Guerin will be on offer.
Hospitals nationwide areoffering currently offering six-month therapy for TB patients, which isexpected to be cut down to 3-4 months in the coming time, he said.
Under the national TB prevention strategy until 2020 (with a visionto 2030) recently approved by the Prime Minister, Vietnam is looking tocontrol TB levels to below 20 patients for every 100,000 people by 2030on the road to eventually eliminating the disease.
By late 2015, the country expects that the numbers of TB sufferers anddeaths will be 187 and 18 per 100,000. By 2020, the respective numbersare forecast to be 131 and 10, with the rate of multidrug-resistant TBpatients being kept at below 5 percent.
To realisethe goal, Vietnam will review and amend policies, raise public awarenessof relevant laws, and offer medical check-ups and treatment, especiallyin remote and mountainous areas.
On top of this, itwill join efforts with countries worldwide to detect, treat and curb thecross-border spread of TB. Training courses both at home and abroadwill be held while the enforcement of laws on TB prevention will bestrengthened.
In the northern province of Ha Namalone, a TB and lung disease hospital regularly embraces the latesttechnology and offers advice to patients and their families. It alsosends medical staff to tertiary, post-graduate and on-the-job trainingcourses.
Its yearly rate of TB infection is reduced by 3-5percent. Up to 90 percent of patients with sputum smears that testpositive for acid-fast bacilli are treated successfully, while the rateof deaths has been brought down to 0.3 percent. Last year, the provincedetected and treated over 900 TB patients.
According to theWorld Health Organisation, Vietnam ranks 12th among the 22 countriesmost burdened with TB, with some 130,000 new patients, 3,500 sufferersof multidrug-resistant TB, and 18,000 deaths annually.-VNA
Dr. Nguyen Duc Chinh from the managementboard of the National TB Programme said two new medicines have beenaccepted so far. By 2018, vaccines that are more potent than BacillusCalmette-Guerin will be on offer.
Hospitals nationwide areoffering currently offering six-month therapy for TB patients, which isexpected to be cut down to 3-4 months in the coming time, he said.
Under the national TB prevention strategy until 2020 (with a visionto 2030) recently approved by the Prime Minister, Vietnam is looking tocontrol TB levels to below 20 patients for every 100,000 people by 2030on the road to eventually eliminating the disease.
By late 2015, the country expects that the numbers of TB sufferers anddeaths will be 187 and 18 per 100,000. By 2020, the respective numbersare forecast to be 131 and 10, with the rate of multidrug-resistant TBpatients being kept at below 5 percent.
To realisethe goal, Vietnam will review and amend policies, raise public awarenessof relevant laws, and offer medical check-ups and treatment, especiallyin remote and mountainous areas.
On top of this, itwill join efforts with countries worldwide to detect, treat and curb thecross-border spread of TB. Training courses both at home and abroadwill be held while the enforcement of laws on TB prevention will bestrengthened.
In the northern province of Ha Namalone, a TB and lung disease hospital regularly embraces the latesttechnology and offers advice to patients and their families. It alsosends medical staff to tertiary, post-graduate and on-the-job trainingcourses.
Its yearly rate of TB infection is reduced by 3-5percent. Up to 90 percent of patients with sputum smears that testpositive for acid-fast bacilli are treated successfully, while the rateof deaths has been brought down to 0.3 percent. Last year, the provincedetected and treated over 900 TB patients.
According to theWorld Health Organisation, Vietnam ranks 12th among the 22 countriesmost burdened with TB, with some 130,000 new patients, 3,500 sufferersof multidrug-resistant TB, and 18,000 deaths annually.-VNA
