Iran’s TB Prevalence Has Declined by 8.7%, Health Minister Says

Iran's tuberculosis prevalence has declined by about 8.7% during the past 30 years, Health Minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani said Tuesday during a national conference on TB in Iran's Gorgan province, the Fars News Agency reports. According to Baqeri-Lankarani, Iran reported a TB prevalence of 1.3% in 2008, down from more than 10% in 1979. He added that the annual incidence of the disease also has declined from 100 cases per 100,000 people in 1979 to 13 cases per 100,000 people in 2008.

According to Baqeri-Lankarani, Iran during the past year reported 9,423 new TB cases, which comprise about 56% of the country's total TB cases. The minister called for the country to increase efforts to control the disease particularly because two of Iran's neighboring countries are "among the 22 countries with the highest incidence of TB" worldwide. Baqeri-Lankarani also spoke about the risks of HIV/TB coinfection. In addition, Baqeri-Lankarani called for the country to improve nutrition levels among low-income people to help control the two diseases (Fars News Agency, 3/12).