Myanmar Stresses Impossibility of Total Eradication of TB

Despite the application of new treatment tactics, Myanmar Health Minister Kyaw Myint has expressed strong doubts about Myanmar's total eradication of TB anytime soon. Speaking last week at a meeting jointly sponsored by World Health Organization and the ministry's national TB project, the minister did tell the technical advisory group that the disease can be controlled. With the assistance of WHO, Myanmar has set up TB control centers in every township to implement the Directly Observed Treatment Short Course (DOTS) strategy. According to WHO, approximately 85,000 TB cases occur in Myanmar annually, with about 20,000 patients each year dying of the disease. It is reported that HIV infection among TB cases in Myanmar is 4.5 percent and 60-80 percent of AIDS cases also have TB, which is one of the challenges for TB control programs.

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