WHO Draws Up Five-year Plan To Manage TB In Africa

Accra, Aug. 18, - The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa has drawn up a five-year plan to monitor the control of tuberculosis on the continent. This forms part of efforts being made to intensify tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in view of the enormity of its epidemic, Dr E.M Samba, African regional director said in a speech read for him at the one-week annual meeting of National TB control programme managers in Accra. Such efforts are aimed at detecting at least 70 per cent of TB cases and to cure at least 85 per cent of such cases. Known as the Strategic Plan for Tuberculosis Control on Africa Region 1996-2000, the plan envisages a number of activities in support of National TB control Programmes such as technical support, monitoring, training and operational research. Thirteen managers from eleven English-Speaking African Countries including Ghana, the Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa are participating. It is aimed at analysing the progress made, constraints encountered in the implementation of the TB Campaign Strategy known as "Directly Observed Treatment Shortcourse" (DOTS), and improving the management capacity of programme managers to develop plans for 1998. Dr Samba said WHO has constituted a Task Force for TB control in Africa because the disease has become a major public health problem which calls for urgent attention. He said estimates of new cases in the region as at 1996 was 1.6 million people out of which 600,000 died. Africa, he regretted, has particularly been hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic which has worsened the TB problem, saying estimates revealed that about 26 per cent of all newly diagnosed TB cases were also infected with HIV in 1996. ''It has been projected that the figure will increase to 29 per cent by the year 2000'', he said, and called on governments in the region to put their weight behind the DOTS strategy. Dr Samba said many TB control services are limited to only large health facilities thus limiting accessibility to the larger rural population who need them most. Even where these services exist, they are characterised by irregular drug supply and frequent drug shortages making the services ineffective and inefficient, he added. In view of these problems, the task force has recommended that Ministries of Health of member states establish a strong central leadership and effective mechanisms for the control programmes. Governments should commit funds to support their control efforts because external funds will only be used to supplement this commitment. Nana Paddy Acheampong, Deputy Minister of Health said Ghana has chalked modest successes in TB management since it launched its National Control Programme in 1994. He said cure rates have moved from 15 per cent in the past decade to 30 to 100 per cent in some health facilities and added that the Ministry will continue to collaborate with WHO in addressing the problems of TB in the country. Dr Delanyo Dovlo, Director of Human Resource Development at the Ministry said there is need for a broader and more sustainable approach to solving the problems of TB in the region.