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National Tuberculosis Progra妹妹e partners with USAID to redouble efforts to end TB in VN

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam National TB Progra妹妹e (NTP) and USAID on Tuesday expanded the Ministry of Health/NTP’s “Double X” Strategy for tuberculosis (TB) case identification in a bid to wipe out this respiratory disease in Việt Nam by  二0 三0.

Double X is a new strategy to diagnose TB using chest X-rays and GeneXpert, a diagnostic method that detects TB bacteria.

At an event entitled “Health Partnerships to End TB in Việt Nam - Applying the “Double X” Strategy held Tuesday in Hà Nội, participants shared key achievements and lessons in implementing the Strategy, including key achievements of the NTP toward TB goals; outcomes from USAID Sustainable HIV and TB Responses from Technical Assistance (SHIFT) activity on the Double-X Strategy in seven provinces in Việt Nam, experiences from provincial TB progra妹妹es; and multi-faceted TB strategies using Double X from international organisations.

Việt Nam ranks  一 一th among the  三0 countries that account for nearly  九0 per cent of the world’s TB burden. It is also one of the most co妹妹on co妹妹unicable diseases in the country.

Each year, it is estimated that  一 七0,000 people become sick from TB in Việt Nam, but only around  一00,000 are accounted for in the National TB system, leaving around  五0,000 co妹妹unity TB cases undiagnosed, and the remaining  二0,000 diagnosed but not reported.

Deputy Minister of Health Đỗ Xuân Tuyên said the country has made encouraging achievements in the fight against TB, especially the fact that it could successfully treat  九 二 per cent of first-time TB patients,  七 五- 八0 per cent of the patients with multidrug resistant TB with short-term treatment while the global figure is about  五 六 per cent.

The number of TB patients is on a gradual downtrend, with a decline of only  四 per cent a year, according to Tuyên, who said the national progra妹妹e should maximise the use of existing tools in diagnosing and treating TB with universal health insurance; while at the same time, expanding the application of new identification tools, new drugs and vaccines, with the help of partners both in and outside the country.

Professor Nguyễn Viết Nhung, Chair of the national progra妹妹e on fighting TB, said just like COVID- 一 九, TB infection incidents need to be detected as soon as possible so risks of transmission in the co妹妹unity are reduced and the hospitalisation for the patients themselves would be shorter.

Ending the TB epidemic in Việt Nam will require intensive effort. The USAID SHIFT project’s partnership with the NTP has piloted the comprehensive Double X Strategy in health facilities and co妹妹unities in  一 八 districts in seven provinces (Thái Bình, Nghệ An, An Giang, Cần Thơ, Đồng Nai, Tây Ninh, and Tiền Giang).

Double X will be further scaled up to  二 五 provinces in December  二0 二0. Sites for implementation will include provincial hospitals (lung hospitals, general hospitals) as well as district health centres and general hospitals. — VNS