In June, USAID’s Stop TB Program provided medicine to treat multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). The medicine donated will allow 218 people to complete treatment for MDR-TB, which is fatal if untreated.
According to the Ministry of Health, TB incidence is increasing (101.1 cases in 2014 compared to 99.8 cases in 2013). The growing number of drug-resistant TB cases (1,125 cases in 2014 compared to 1,100 cases in 2013) is of a particular concern. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is resistant to anti-TB drugs. It can occur when these drugs are misused or mismanaged or when treatment is interrupted. People can also contract resistant forms of TB from other patients. Treatment for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis cases is much more expensive and lengthy than regular tuberculosis cases.
USAID and other international partners have been supporting the Kyrgyz Republic in combatting tuberculosis for over a decade. In particular, USAID’s newly launched “Challenge TB” project will help the Ministry of Health adopt the new tuberculosis treatment guidelines developed by the World Health Organization and introduce Bedaquiline and Delamanid, two new drugs for treating drug-resistant TB cases.
To learn more about USAID’s work in health sector, please visit: http://www.usaid.gov/kyrgyz-republic/global-health
