[Tuberculosis in Russia]

Abstract

An unfavorable epidemiological trend in tuberculosis morbidity and mortality has been registered in the last decade. The number of newly detected cases and mortality in 1997 vs 1991 rose more than 2-fold reaching 73.9 and 16.7 per 100,000, respectively. The effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment is worsening: bacterial discharge stopped in 72.6%, destruction cavities in the lungs closed in 62.6%, clinical recovery was obtained in 17.2% of patients (relevant statistics for 1986 were 89.9, 81.6 and 21.9%, respectively). To correct the situation, government of the Russian Federation has adopted the program of tuberculosis control for 1998-2004. The Health Administration of the Ivanovo and Tomsk Regions has successfully introduced the DOTS program. Now, this positive experience is applied in other regions and institutions.