Moldova – among countries with highest tuberculosis rate in Europe

The Republic of Moldova remains one of the countries with the highest tuberculosis incidence rate in Europe, though the situation has improved considerably during the past years, the United States Agency for International Development Director General Gary Linden said. At a news conference marking the end of the USAID Strengthening Tuberculosis Control in Moldova Project in Chisinau on Tuesday, Linden said that the efforts made during the last four years should be continued. Among the project’s accomplishments, the U.S. experts mentioned the renovation of tuberculosis diagnosis laboratories, the preparation of medical staff, the improvement of the system for monitoring and informing the population about the symptoms and treatment of TB. Health Minister Ion Ababii said that the National Laboratory and other three tuberculosis laboratories were reconstructed and modernized in a short space of time, there were trained over 1 800 family doctors and created an efficient system for supervising the sick people. In September 2003, the American International Health Alliance (AIHA) launched a four-year Strengthening Tuberculosis Control in Moldova Project with funding from the American people through a cooperative agreement with USAID. Strategic partners working in conjunction with AIHA on this project include Moldova’s Ministry of Health, the Institute of Phtisiopneumology, the National Tuberculosis Control Programme, the World Health Organization, the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and other organizations dealing with tuberculosis control. According to official statistics, 5,400 people sick with tuberculosis were registered in Moldova in 2006. Of these, 4,300 were new cases. About 800 people died of this disease last year.