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[Claudio Schuftan <aviva@netnam.vn>]

TB TB TB TB TB
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TB News:

The countries worst hit by the worldwide TB epidemic urgently need 
extra help if they are to meet ambitious global targets set for the 
year 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Experts working 
with WHO estimate that the total cost for TB control worldwide is 
$1.2 billion every year. Three-quarters of that total is already cov-
ered by countries, donors and other sources. The remaining US$ 300 
million each year is urgently needed if the targets are to be met by 
2005. WHO's World Health Assembly has set global targets of detecting 
70% of TB patients and successfully curing 85% of these patients by 
2005. "This is a race against time," said Dr. J.W. Lee, director of 
WHO's STOP TB Department in Geneva. "Poor control practices in many 
countries and the TB/HIV coepidemic mean that urgent action needs to 
be taken to control TB." "This funding gap is clearly identified and 
affordable," he added. "If we are to meet these targets, we must act 
now." According to WHO, the 22 countries worst hit by TB are: Af-
ghanistan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Democratic Republic 
of the Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, 
Pakistan, Peru, the Philippines, the Russian Federation, South Af-
rica, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Viet Nam and Zimbabwe. 
This article was prepared by TB & Outbreaks Week editors from staff 
and other reports. 
http://www.NewsRx.net

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The Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis

The Stop TB Partnership has announced the publication of the Global 
Plan to Stop TB. The document describes the action and resources 
needed over the next five years to expand, adapt and improve di-
rectly-observed treatment, short-course (DOTS) - meeting the 2005 
global targets to Stop TB, and setting the world on the road to the 
elimination of TB. Nine billion dollars is needed to fulfill the ob-
jectives of the Plan, and with a gap of nearly four billion dollars, 
much work is needed to mobilise more resources.

The Global Plan has been prepared over the last two years by a team 
from Partners in Health and the Stop TB Partnership secretariat, with 
funding from the Soros Foundation and USAID. It incorporates contri-
butions from over 150 writers around the world, and the backing of 
the WHO, the World Bank and other partners.

http://www.stoptb.org 

Further information: 
Stop TB Partnership
c/o WHO/CDS
20 Avenue Appia
CH-1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland 
mailto:stoptb@who.int


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Keeping an eye on costs - community health workers monitor TB treat-
ment

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that only 32 per cent 
of the world's population has access to DOTS - a TB treatment strat-
egy that requires health workers to watch patients taking their 
drugs. How can policy-makers improve the availability of DOTS? Commu-
nity health workers may provide a cost-effective solution.

http://www.id21.org/health/h4ai1g1.html
Email request: 
GET http://www.id21.org/getweb/h4ai1g1.html
or 
mailto:swakai@m.u-tokyo.ac.jp


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Drug-resistant tuberculosis: can we save money AND save lives?

The spread of drug-resistant disease is one of the biggest challenges 
in international health. It can cost up to one million dollars to 
treat a patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in the United 
States. But what is the cheapest and most effective way to treat the 
disease? Can treatment strategies used in industrialised nations be 
applied in developing countries?

http://www.id21.org/health/h4rs1g1.html
Email request: 
GET http://www.id21.org/health/h4rs1g1.html 
or 
mailto:richard.smith@uea.ac.uk

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