United States Commemorates World Tuberculosis Day in Vietnam

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

HANOI, March 24, 2009 — Today, the United States joins the Government of Vietnam and international and local partners in commemorating World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. Worldwide, the number of deaths from TB decreased since 1990, but the disease continues to claim more than 1.7 million lives each year. With over 2 million people dying of HIV/AIDS each year, and malaria killing more than 1 million, TB is one of the three leading causes of deaths worldwide due to infectious diseases.   About 10 percent of TB patients are also co-infected with HIV, and TB is the leading cause of death for AIDS patients. Vietnam ranks 12th on the World Health Organization list of 22 countries with the highest TB burdens.

In Vietnam since 1995, the U.S. government has worked with the National TB Program of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health and has contributed more than USD 10 million to help combat TB through the U.S. Agency for International Development and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of Department of Health and Human Services. These programs aim to improve the quality of basic TB prevention and control programs and services, upgrade laboratory capacity, build a foundation to introduce new diagnostic technologies, and work with World Health Organization and other partners to conduct drug resistance surveys and surveillance.

“Even though a cure has existed for more than half a century, tuberculosis remains one of humankind's greatest scourges," said U.S. Ambassador Michael W. Michalak.  “We must work together to improve services and engage the private sector to bring additional resources to fight the disease. The U.S. government is fully committed to doing our part in this effort.” 

Currently, U.S.-funded activities focus on strategies to reduce the burden of TB among people living with HIV. The basic approach involves supporting comprehensive care and treatment, facilitating referrals, and providing HIV testing for TB patients and HIV treatment for those who need it. To accelerate progress towards national TB control, the U.S. government supports intensified case finding, improving infection control, and fostered preventive therapy for people living with HIV. And because modern strategies require continual improvement, we support the Ministry of Health in evaluating the best ways to screen people with HIV for TB.

Between 2000 and 2008, the U.S. government provided over $777 million for TB programs around the world. The American people also support TB control worldwide through funding provided to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.  The U.S. government is the largest single donor to the Global Fund, with pledges exceeding USD 2.1 billion through 2008.  Seventeen percent of support for the Global Fund has been dedicated to TB work.

For more information about the U.S. government’s activities in TB, see our factsheet at:

http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/aid_tb0309fs.html

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