World TB Day in Serbia, 24 March 2010

The latest WHO-European Centre for Disease prevention and Control (ECDC) report on tuberculosis (TB) control in Europe presented data showing the achievements of the Serbian TB programme over the past 7 years. When in 2003 WHO assisted in preparing a project proposal for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria focusing on DOTS expansion and outreach work for marginalized populations, refugees in collective shelters and Roma in slum dwellings. At the beginning of the project the TB incidence in Serbia was 37 per 100 000 population. WHO continued to closely support the Serbian TB programme and provide technical assistance. In 2008, one year before the end of the project, the targeted decrease in incidence (25 per 100 000) population was achieved. Other indicators show the excellent performance of the national TB programme: a high treatment success rate (83.6%), good monitoring of cases (only 0.4% of cases have no information on previous status or treatment), re-treatment success rate of 70%. WHO provided technical assistance for setting up a national reference laboratory, and meeting conditions for purchasing second line TB drugs from the green Light Committee. In 2009 WHO supported the Serbian TB team to prepare a new proposal for the Global Fund, focusing on TB-HIV co-infection, multiresistant TB and marginalized populations, and the project was approved for €7.5 million. The grant agreement was signed on 1 April 2010, and the national TB programme started discussions with WHO on details of WHO technical assistance for the new programme. The media conference this year was chaired by the Minister of Health, the Chair of the National TB Programme and Head of Country Office.