AB 98. Tuberculosis and granulomatous diseases
Despite all available preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, tuberculosis still represents a major global health issue. In 2010, WHO reported 9 million TB patients, 80% of whom were in the most productive age. Of all TB patients, 1.7 million died.
It is estimated that daily about 4,700 TB patients die in the world. Tuberculosis is the third major death cause of productive females.
The Ministry of Health project, TB Control in Serbia”funded by Global Fund for Fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), through directly observed treatment strategy (DOTS), started in Serbia in 2004. Its main objective was to reduce the TB incidence in a five-year period from 37 to 25 patients per 100.000 inhabitants until 2009, and finally reach the incidence of 21/100,000 people until 2015, The settled goals have been achieved much earlier. The TB incidence of 24, 23 and 18/100,000 people were reported in 2008, 2009 and 2011 respectively.
In the forthcoming period, the project “TB Control in Serbia” will focus on risk groups and adequate treatment of MDR TB. The risk groups include people to whom standard health care services are unavailable, and those exposed to a higher risk of TB. Among these, the effects of the disease may be increased by other factors, such as poverty and malnutrition. The imprisoned, HIV infected, AIDS patients, drug addicts and people in methadone centers are at a particular risk of TB.
