MINSK, 10 March (BelTA) – Tuberculosis incidence rate among children is at its all-time low, Director of the National Research Center for Pulmonology and Tuberculosis Gennady Gurevich said at an extended session of the Standing Commission on Health, Physical Education, Family and Youth Policy on 10 March, BelTA has learned.
According to Gennady Gurevich, 23 children fell sick with tuberculosis in 2019. The children's tuberculosis department at the National Research Center for Pulmonology and Tuberculosis might be shut down. He added that the WHO mission that had recently visited Belarus acknowledged the country's achievements in fighting tuberculosis. “No other country can boast such a low TB incidence rate. WHO experts have no reasons to think that some TB cases go undiagnosed in Belarus. These are real figures,” Gennady Gurevich said.
The situation with tuberculosis remains pretty good in Belarus, he said. The incidence rate is 18.3 per 100,000 population; recurrent TB cases make up 23.3 per 100,000; TB death rate is 2.2 per 100,000. Last year 1,759 people fell sick with tuberculosis, down 155 over the previous years. The number of recurrent cases dropped by 7.5% over 2018. The number of TB associated deaths shrank by 15.4%.
The biggest health threat is a high proportion of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). It has been reported in 38% of new cases and nearly 60% of recurrent cases. MDR-TB takes two years to cure, while drug sensitive TB takes 6-8 months to cure.
Belarus' tuberculosis service is introducing new solutions and a patient-centered approach, expanding interdepartmental and international cooperation. Belarus introduced genetic tests that can determine a diagnosis within 24 hours. New chemotherapy protocols incorporating advanced medicines also became available in the country. They allow treating patients with MDR-TB and even palliative patients.
The participants of the session took stock of the implementation of the Tuberculosis sub-program of the government program Public Health and Demographic Security of Belarus for 2016-2020. Over the four years the death rate associated with TB shrank by 37.1%, the morbidity rate dropped by 34%; the share of patients cured of MDR-TB rose by 9%.
Prior to the session Chairperson of the Standing Commission on Health, Physical Education, Family and Youth Policy Lyudmila Makarina-Kibak recalled that the Sustainable Development Goals provide for eliminating tuberculosis by 2035. Belarus is also working on it. The House of Representatives is drawing up amendments to the law on healthcare where a separate chapter will be dedicated to controllable TB treatment.
