Myanmar Health Authorities Announce No-Cost TB Treatment
Health authorities in Myanmar recently announced that tuberculosis treatment will be available at no cost in hospitals and clinics, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. According to the officials, the supply of the TB drugs will last until 2008, after which time the Three Diseases Fund -- which aims to combat tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/AIDS in the country -- will help purchase additional TB drugs (Xinhua/People's Daily, 1/9). The 3D Fund -- a $100 million, five-year joint donor program -- aims to compensate for grants suspended by the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GlobalHealthReporting.org, 8/23/06). Myanmar records roughly 100,000 new TB cases annually, and about half of them are infectious, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. Myanmar in 2005 achieved a 95% case detection rate and an 84% treatment success rate, according to Xinhua/People's Daily (Xinhua/People's Daily, 1/9).
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