SEA/RC60/8 - Tuberculosis control: progress and plans for implementing the new stop TB strategy

The attached working paper is a summary of the progress and plans for implementing the new Stop Tuberculosis (TB) Strategy. The South-East Asia (SEA) Region as a whole achieved a case detection rate of 64% in 2005, while treatment success rates in excess of 85% have been consistently achieved since 2003. A fall in TB prevalence and mortality rates are being reported in a few Member countries in the Region, while the estimates for TB prevalence and mortality for the Region have decreased by an overall 30% and 22% respectively since 1990. WHO and its partners have endorsed the new Stop TB Strategy which constitutes the core of the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015). The Regional office, in consultation with national programmes and partners, has developed a Regional Strategic Plan for TB Control 2006-2015, based on the Strategy and focusing on the priorities in the SEA Region. The interventions mentioned in this plan towards achieving the TB targets under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are grouped under four strategic approaches: sustaining and enhancing DOTS to reach all TB patients, improving case detection and treatment success; establishing interventions to address TB/HIV and MDR-TB; forging partnerships to ensure equitable access to an essential standard of care to all TB patients, and contributing to strengthening health systems. Member countries have also developed national plans in line with the Stop TB Strategy and the Regional Plan. There is a very close link between implementing these plans and good laboratory practices, procurement systems, coordination with related programmes, particularly national HIV/AIDS programmes, health infrastructure and human resource development. Resolution WHA 60.19 adopted by the Sixtieth World Health Assembly calls on Member States to fulfil their commitments to implement long-term plans for TB prevention and control in line with the new Stop TB strategy, aimed at accelerating progress towards halving TB prevalence and deaths by 2015. WHO was requested to take a leadership role in spurring implementation and intensifying support to Member countries towards reaching these targets. The Joint Meeting of Health Secretaries and the Consultative Committee for Programme Development and Management reviewed the actions proposed for the consideration of the Regional Committee. The Joint Meeting made the following recommendations: Action by Member States (1) To fully implement national TB programmes in line with the Regional Strategic Plan 2006-2015, in order to achieve the goal of halving TB prevalence and mortality by 2010 and reaching the MDGs by 2015. (2) Build adequate human resources and infrastructure to deliver effective TB services, including laboratory services under primary health care systems, and take into account the pivotal role of the private sector in service provision. (3) Collect, analyse and use data at the sub-national level for planning and implementing appropriate interventions. (4) Carry out operations research in order to devise appropriate strategies and effective interventions and to improve programme effectiveness. (5) Mobilize additional resources, both domestic as well as external, to sustain the achievements and to expand services such as TB-HIV and DOTS-Plus for the management of drug-resistant TB, to ensure no diversion of financial resources from the routine to new services. Action by WHO-SEARO (1) To mobilize additional resources required for implementing and strengthening TB programmes in the Region. (2) To facilitate continued support of the Global Drug Facility to countries, particularly DPR Korea and Myanmar, for which the Global Fund support is not available. (3) To convene a working group to urgently assess the XDR-TB situation in order to recommend mechanisms to monitor and contain it.. The working paper is now submitted to the Sixtieth session of the Regional Committee for its consideration.