“Vietnam conquers tuberculosis” is the theme of Vietnam’s World Tuberculosis Day 2023, demonstrating the determination of all classes of Vietnamese people in the “war” to repel TB.
On the morning of March 24, in Hanoi, the Central Lung Hospital, the National Tuberculosis Program held a Celebration of World Tuberculosis Day .
Attending the Celebration of World Tuberculosis Day were Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health; Angela Pratt, Chief Representative of the Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam and representatives of ministries, departments, sectors, international organizations, NGOs…
The theme of this year’s World TB Day is “Yes, We Can End TB
Every year, thousands of Vietnamese people die from tuberculosis
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Health Minister Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan said that despite many achievements in the fight against tuberculosis, Vietnam is still a country with a high burden of TB with 169,000 people infected with TB. and 12,000 TB deaths in 2021, ranking 11th among the 30 countries with a high TB burden in the world and facing the risk of TB outbreaks in the community, the number and rate of TB deaths. in 2 years 2020-2021 increase again compared to the previous period.
Among people with TB, about 95% are patients with normal TB and 5% of patients with drug-resistant TB. Regarding the costs of TB diagnosis and treatment, up to 63% of those with normal TB, 98% of those with drug-resistant TB face catastrophic costs – that is, the costs of diagnosis and treatment. TB diagnosis and treatment exceeds 20% of a household’s annual income. Besides, up to 70% of people with TB are of working age, so TB is really a problem affecting the economy of each family in particular and the country in general.
Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, said that tuberculosis used to be one of the four incurable diseases with a very high mortality rate. Up to now, many people still mistakenly believe that the cause of TB is genetic, cannot be cured, leading to stigma, guilt and psychology of hiding the disease.
“In 2021, Vietnam is one of the countries with the highest reduction in TB detection globally. According to WHO estimates, in the two years 2020-2021, the number and death rate of Vietnam’s TB will increase. increased again compared to before,” said Dr. Nguyen Huu Dung.
Overcoming difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, speeding up early case detection and reducing TB deaths
According to Dr. Dinh Van Luong, Director of the Central Lung Hospital, Head of the Executive Board of the National Tuberculosis Program, said that 2 years of the COVID-19 epidemic, TB prevention in Vietnam was seriously affected. The number of TB patients detected in 2021 will decrease by 22% compared to 2020 and decrease by 24.5% compared to 2019, making Vietnam one of the countries with the highest reduction in TB detection globally. effects of the pandemic. The number and mortality rate from TB in Vietnam is estimated at 12,000 people, an increase of 35.8% from 2020.
The Director of the Central Lung Hospital said that 2022 has proved a strong recovery of the TB Program, with the number of TB detections increasing by nearly 31% compared to 2021 and 1.8% compared to 2020. The year has not been affected by the pandemic. “Even so, we have only detected 60% of the estimated TB patients in the community, 40% of the patients have not been detected,” said Dr. Dinh Van Luong.
To be able to access quality TB diagnosis and treatment services, the TB Program needs sustainable funding, synchronous implementation of innovative interventions, leading to quality diagnosis and treatment. friendly, fast, prioritize TB detection by combining many measures, including passive, active, active, public-private health collaboration, expanding access to TB diagnosis in facilities polyclinics and specialties….
This year’s theme brings hope and conviction as strong as a affirmation of all of us that an end to TB is possible.
Deputy Minister of Health Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan
With the theme “Vietnam defeats tuberculosis” as an affirmation, showing the high determination of all classes of people in the fight against TB. Vietnam is committed to joining the world to end global tuberculosis This is a very ambitious but very meaningful goal because it saves the lives of tens of thousands of Vietnamese people every year, and at the same time is a great motivation for countries around the world about the good model that has reduced epidemiology. tuberculosis in recent years.
Many problems need to be solved to end TB in Vietnam
In order to achieve the goals set out in the National TB Prevention Strategy for the period 2021 – 2025, with a vision to 2035 approved by the Government, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said that in the coming period , the Ministry of Health, the National Tuberculosis Program will need to continue to perform a number of tasks such as strengthening advocacy to receive a strong commitment from the Government and the participation of the whole political system to support it. support TB prevention work, consolidate and improve the operational efficiency of the TB prevention network from the central to local levels.
The second is to mobilize the response of the whole community to TB prevention, increase people’s access to health services, actively participate in seeking TB examination and treatment services, overcome all barriers, raise people’s awareness, reduce guilt and stigma against tuberculosis; promote the implementation of new approaches such as proactive detection and detection of tuberculosis in risk groups; expanding the TB prevention network such as: public-private health cooperation; coordination between TB and HIV prevention programs; mobilize the participation of political, social and civil organizations in TB prevention such as Women’s Union, Farmers’ Union, Youth Union…
The third is to mobilize multi-source investment for TB prevention, including the State budget, local budget, international funding, health insurance, socialization, etc.
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