Vietnam ranks 12 over 22 countries which have the high rate of tuberculosis patients in the world and 14 over 27 nations which has the burden of Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, said Vietnamese Ministry of Health on the occasion of celebrating the World Tuberculosis Day and the month-long action program themed “ Vietnam is determined to carry out the national Tuberculosis Prevention Strategies”.
However, through years, activities implemented in the country has achieved the World Health Organization’s basic goals which detect over 70 percent of tuberculosis patients and cure over 80 percent of fresh tuberculosis people.
Thanks to its huge efforts in fighting against the dangerous disease, Vietnam has reduced the rate of tuberculosis patients by 4.6 percent annually. Accordingly, the country can totally achieve its millennium goals to cutting the infected people by 50 percent compared to 2000.
Professor Nguyen Viet Chung, director of the Central Lung Hospital cum chairman of the national Anti-Tuberculosis program said that the country strives to reduce the rate of infected people in the community to 187 over 100,000 residents and the rate of Mutidrug-resistant tuberculosis under 5 percent among new cases.
According to Professor Nguyen Viet Chung, patients’ families and the society must join hand to fight against the disease and provide free-of-charged treatment to patients to reduce the financial burden for them.
Moreover, the most important in the tuberculosis prevention program is to change people’s awareness of the disease.
Anti-tuberculosis program's leaders should call for social contribution and enhance education of the disease in the community via media.
In addition, it is expected that Vietnam will be the first nation to take the new tuberculosis medication for treating Mutidrug-resistant tuberculosis in June, 2015. The program will be given gratis to 100 first patients in Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong delta City of Can Tho and Hanoi which have the highest rate of Multidrug resistant tuberculosis patients.
