Number of TB Patients Increases in Vietnam; Country Reaffirms Commitment To Fight TB, Evaluates Progress

The tuberculosis prevalence rate in Vietnam increased 2.6% from 2003 to 2004, largely due to the growing number of HIV/AIDS patients and a shortage of health professionals, health experts said on Friday during a conference to review the country's TB control, the Vietnam News Brief Service reports. The number of patients treated under the country's TB program also rose by 6.7% between 2003 and 2004, and the percentage of HIV-positive people who also have TB increased to 4.7% over the same period, according to Dinh Ngoc Sy, director of the National Institute of TB and Lung Diseases (Vietnam News Brief Service, 3/21). At the conference, which was held in advance of World TB Day on March 24, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Xuyen reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to battle TB as one of the top 10 national health program priorities, the Vietnam News Agency reports. Vietnam has increased the number of TB hospitals nationwide to provide better treatment for patients and has increased TB diagnosis and treatment services to levels that surpass the targets established by Vietnam and the World Health Organization, according to Xuyen (Vietnam News Agency, 3/18). The country has achieved about a 70% detection rate for TB cases and has successfully treated about 85% of patients (Vietnam News Brief Service, 3/21). However, "difficulties remain" in the fight against TB in Vietnam, including the increase in the TB prevalence rate and the difficulty in ensuring the success of DOTS treatment programs, Xuyen said, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Also, the lack of modern equipment and the rapid urbanization and unplanned migration in the country have impacted efforts to control TB, Xuyen said (Vietnam News Agency, 3/18).