Every 4 seconds, 1 more person has tuberculosis

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one-third of the world's population is infected with TB. WHO emphasizes that every 1 second, the world has 1 more person to become TB patient.

In addition to the above announcement of WHO, during the " World TB Day " conference on March 23, Lao Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital also stated that in the past 10 years, the number of TB patients registered for treatment in the anti-TB program network HCMC labor tends to increase. From 8,000 cases in 1997 to 15,000 in 2006.

According to a survey at the end of 2005, 25-30% of new working patients aged 15-24 in Ho Chi Minh City were immigrants. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City ranks the third in the country in terms of the number of people with HIV detected. The city's Committee for HIV-AIDS Prevention and Control estimates that in 2003, about 40,000 people are infected with HIV in Ho Chi Minh City.

Dr. Pham Minh Sang, the director of BV BV Pham Ngoc Thach, said that every year, TB patients re-treated nearly 1,500 cases, but the treatment effect was only 70%.

Besides, WHO also warned the world over 50 million people infected with drug-resistant TB germs. And, more than 400,000 people are multidrug-resistant tuberculosis patients.

Causes: Improper treatment, weak disease management, inadequate supply of drugs or poor quality drugs, unsupervised treatment.In addition, anti-tuberculosis resistance due to poorly treated patients, poor drug absorption or drug reactions .

TB is a common opportunistic infection in people with HIV. In 2006, 1 in 7 TB patients had 1 HIV co-infection.

However, during this conference, experts expressed concern when the global plan to prevent tuberculosis did not have enough financial resources. Plans to halve deaths and half of TB patients by 2015 and eliminate tuberculosis by 2020 need US $ 56 billion.

But the amount is missing at least 31 billion UDS, including $ 25 billion for deployment and $ 6 billion for research and development of new vehicles.

In order to have a lack of funding and protect lives for millions of people, TB-infected countries must act on the leaders' commitment to prevent tuberculosis, including investments in infrastructure. health care facility.

This year, the theme of World Tuberculosis Day is "Tuberculosis in one place will be everywhere". The message emphasized that even though tuberculosis could be prevented and cured, it was still a universal emergency.

The topic reflects an inadequate investment in tuberculosis prevention, epidemiological surveillance, research and development, which is like a deadly synergy between tuberculosis and HIV.

In Vietnam, the number of TB patients has increased in the last 10 years.From 8,000 cases in 1997 increased to 15,000 in 2006. In the photo: The patient is waiting at the Hospital of Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital.(Photo: H.Cat)

H.Cat