Advances in TB Control in Europe and Eurasia
USAID TB investments in the Europe and Eurasia region supported activities in
14 countries in 2003. These programs helped host countries control TB effectively
and efficiently through implementing the DOTS strategy.
In 2002, an evaluation of USAID investments in seven
countries in the region indicated that USAID support
for TB control contributed to a number of significant
achievements in the preceding five years. DOTS has
expanded with improved results; political support for
DOTS based TB control has increased in all countries;
and there has been progress in managing multidrug-resistant
(MDR) TB. Significant achievements have included the
following:
- USAID programs have contributed to substantial progress across the
region with respect to standardization of TB treatment
regimens and increased use of sputum-smear microscopy
in diagnosing TB.
- In Russia, a high-level TB working group was established and helped
decrease opposition to the DOTS approach.
- DOTS coverage in Kosovo has reached 100 percent.
- In demonstration sites in Russia, Uzbekistan, and Kosovo, treatment
success rates are approaching or have surpassed the
WHO target of 85 percent.
- In Kazakhstan, where USAID has supported the nationwide DOTS program
since 1998, TB-related mortality has declined by 37
percent. USAID and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention estimate that more than 20,000 TB deaths
were prevented between 1998 and 2003.
- In Latvia, an international electronic surveillance system for MDR
TB and clinical capacity for managing MDR TB have been
developed with USAID support. MDR TB decreased from
54 to 28 percent of all TB cases.
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