Joint TB Efforts Get New Boost in Ecuador

Experts Point to Progress Achieved by International "StopTB Alliance"

Washington, D.C., September 2, 2005 (PAHO)—Experts meeting in Ecuador last week resolved to step up regional efforts to fight tuberculosis and applauded the growing commitment and determination on the part of governments and other technical, financial and social partners to ensure that TB cases in the Americas continue to decline.

Dr. Mirtha del Granado, regional advisor for the Pan American Health Organization's (PAHO) TB program, participated in two meetings with national and international tuberculosis experts gathered in Quito. She said the sessions showed "the commitment of Latin American governments and partners in the fight against tuberculosis to achieve the targets established by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals."

Representatives of the hemisphere's priority countries in the fight against TB joined members of the StopTB Alliance to discuss the implementation of the latter's international strategy to control tuberculosis in the Americas. The 10 priority countries, designated by PAHO and the Alliance, are Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, México, Peru and the Dominican Republic.

Participants in the summit called for the inclusion of Colombia as a new priority country. Dr. Del Granado noted that Colombia is one of the countries where the World Health Organization's (WHO) DOTS strategy has not been implemented at the national level, and said that efforts to control TB need to be expanded there.

DOTS, or directly observed treatment–short course, is WHO's recommended strategy for fighting TB. It consists of five basic elements: political commitment for the control of TB; detection of TB cases through sputum smear microscopy among people with symptoms; regular and uninterrupted supply of high-quality anti-TB drugs; six-eight months of strictly supervised treatment, including direct observation of drug-taking; and reporting systems to monitor treatment progress and program performance.

PAHO officials noted that since 2003, the DOTS strategy has been expanded to cover 80 percent of the population of the Americas, adding that this was the strongest indicator of the growing political commitment to the region's fight against TB.

Participants in the Quito meetings reviewed the epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in the Americas and discussed successes achieved in individual countries. They also analyzed the remaining challenges of strengthening alliances and implementing strategies to improve cure rates and reduce the number of cases and deaths due to TB.

Contrary to the situation in Africa, where WHO recently declared a tuberculosis emergency, the Americas have seen a sustained reduction in the prevalence of TB over the last 10 years.

PAHO was established in 1902 and is the world's oldest public health organization. It serves as Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and works with its member countries to improve the health and quality of life of all the peoples of the hemisphere.