Successful Fight Against Tuberculosis in South-Western Russia

By the end of the 1990s, the tuberculosis epidemic had reached alarming proportions across the Russian Federation. Orel district, in the south-western part of the country, was no exception. “The TB situation in the region was very bad, especially from 1999 to 2000,” said Dr Boris Kazyenny, chief doctor at Orel District Tuberculosis Dispensary in the regional capital.

Orel district, using the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended Directly Observed Treatment Strategy, known as DOTS, has brought the epidemic under control.

Furthermore, the oblast is close to reaching many targets set to reduce the global burden of TB worldwide by 2015:

• by 2005, detect at least 70% of new sputum smear-positive TB cases and cure at least 85% of these cases;
• by 2015, reduce TB prevalence and death rates by 50% relative to 1990;
• by 2050, eliminate TB as a public health problem (<1 case per million population).