Vice Premier Wu Yi on
Friday urged increased efforts to realize the country's goal of
detecting at least 70 percent of new smear tested tuberculosis (TB)
cases by 2005.
"We have made the commitment but we are still a long way from
the target," Wu told a nationally televised conference on TB
prevention.
Though China has invested a huge amount of money and energy into
the endeavor, it still faces a grave situation. Recent statistics
indicate there are 4.5 million TB sufferers in China and it was
listed by the World Health Organization (WTO) as one of the 22
countries with a high TB-burden. Of those 4.5 million, 1.5 million
are infectious.
The country sees 1.45 million new cases every year and 130,000
deaths.
She said more effort should be made to help medical workers
diagnose new patients and ensure they take medication
regularly.
In the countryside, the central government is considering a
large increase in funding to fight TB.
Presently, the central government allocates 40 million yuan
(US$4.8 million) each year, mainly for medical treatment.
Wu asked local health institutions, especially those at county
and township levels to tighten monitoring, reporting and
management.
At the county level, mobile medical vans are being considered to
provide basic healthcare services for people in remote and rural
areas and find more new patients for timely treatment.
An earlier report was cited as saying an additional several
hundred million yuan will be used to provide TB patients with DOTS
(directly observed treatment, short course) therapy. DOTS is a
universally applied treatment recommended by WHO.
It is one of the central government's major programs in meeting
global targets for TB control.
According to the Ministry of Health, the case detection rate of
TB patients in China presently stands at about 45 percent, while
DOTS coverage is approaching 100 percent and the cure rate is over
85 percent.
Tuberculosis is the leading infectious cause of death in China.
The country ranks second in the world in the number of TB patients
after India.
The international community has been heavily involved in China's
TB treatment drive. The World Health Organization, World Bank, the
Department for International Development (DFID) of the UK, Damien
Foundation, the Government of Japan, Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria and other national and international
non-governmental organizations have played important roles in the
projects.
(China Daily September 4, 2004)