Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe 2012

This is the fourth report launched jointly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe) following on from reports under the EuroTB project, established in 1996. As in the previous years, surveillance of tuberculosis (TB) reveals a mixed epidemiological picture among the Member States of the WHO European Region.

Despite a decrease in TB incidence, drug resistant TB is becoming a major concern. There is an urgent need to address the root causes of emergence and transmission of drug resistant TB. This should be done by addressing the weaknesses in national health systems and the social determinants of TB in every country. Early detection of TB, particularly drug-resistant TB, and adequate treatment with patient-friendly services need to be ensured across the Region.

In response to the alarming problem of MDR TB, all 53 Member States have fully endorsed the Consolidated Action Plan to Prevent and Combat M/XDR TB in the WHO European Region 2011–2015, and its accompanying resolution EUR/RC61/R7 of the sixty-first session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe. This Action Plan includes a set of activities to be implemented by countries, WHO and partners to achieve universal access to prevention and treatment of M/XDR TB. It is crucial for all countries, WHO, and technical partners to join forces and ensure the Plan is being implemented. From 2013 onwards, a joint ECDC-WHO/Europe report and/or similar mechanism would be used to monitor progress in implementing the Action Plan and the Berlin Declaration. To this end, specific monitoring frameworks have been developed for each of these two major regional commitments. They are complementary to each other and to the ECDC Framework for Action.