A doctor gives check-up to a TB patient (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – A national teleconference in Hanoi onMarch 24 called on the public to work harder to turn the peril of the COVID-19pandemic into an opportunity for Vietnam for eradicating tuberculosis (TB) by2030.
The event, held in response to the World TB Day(March 24), was attended by representatives of ministries, sectors, domesticand international organisations and all the 63 central-level localities.
Director of the National Lung Hospital NguyenViet Nhung, who also chairs the national anti-TB programme, said this year’sactivity appeals to all people who have engaged in the COVID-19 fight to joinhands more actively in the TB prevention and control.
He stressed TB is a “silent killer”, noting thatTB bacteria transmits more easily than SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19, since with the size of less than 5 micrometres, it can spread by airand adapt to harsh environmental conditions in a long period of time.
The number of TB fatalities each year is evenmuch higher than those caused by traffic accidents, he said, noting that mostof the TB deaths are the result of late detection and treatment.
Communications activities should also bepromoted so that the public understand that TB is not as frightening as theythought, he added.
In Vietnam, more than 100,000 TB patients arediagnosed and sent for treatment annually.
The recovery rate is more than 90 percent of newpatients, 75 percent of multidrug-resistant TB patients using long-termtreatment regimens, and 80 percent of multidrug-resistant TB patients usingshort-term treatment regimens.
New technologies, drugs and treatment approachesfrom around the world have been applied in Vietnam and proved highly effective,even for multidrug-resistant TB and super extensively multidrug-resistant TBpatients. Those who are diagnosed with TB will receive free drugs, according tothe expert.
Around the world, TB is the second leading causeof death among infectious diseases with 10 million new patients and nearly 1.5million deaths annually.
Vietnam is still among the 30 countries with thehighest prevalence of TB and multidrug-resistant TB in the world./.
VNA
