ECDC: “Parliamentarians play a vital role in making sure TB control gets the priority it deserves”
In a hearing at the European Parliament in Brussels, ECDC Director Marc Sprenger underlined the importance of sufficient resources at national level to diagnose and adequately treat tuberculosis.
In the light of the most recent findings of the ECDC-WHO report Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe 2012, ECDC Director Marc Sprenger appealed to the members of the European Parliament Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety today to keep tuberculosis (TB) on the public health agenda. Particularly in times of budget restraints in the health sector.
Sprenger stressed: “Cutting TB control is a false economy. If the EU Member States cut their basic TB control infrastructure with laboratories and expert staff, we will not be able to diagnose normal TB, let alone multidrug-resistant TB, properly. As a result, patients will be diagnosed late, and will continue spreading TB longer.”
In 2010, the EU/EEA countries reported nearly 74 000 tuberculosis cases – around 7% less than 2009. While the notifications for multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) have been stable over the past 5 years, the proportion of XDR patients among this group rose from 8.2% in 2009 to 13.2% in 2010 in the EU/EEA, possibly due to increased reporting.
“A study by the Metropolitan TB network showed cities such as London, Paris, Copenhagen and Rotterdam show three times the national incidence of tuberculosis”, Sprenger added, warning that “the picture in the low incidence countries is not as good as it may seem.” In the EU/EEA region, countries with low incidence of TB (fewer than 20 patients per 100 000 population), face a particular challenge in taking the final step towards TB elimination as the disease often concentrates in big cities. In this setting, key populations like people who inject drugs, homeless people and migrants are disproportionately affected by TB.
On the occasion, the ECDC Director highlighted the simultaneous Urban TB Control events in Barcelona, Milan, London and Rotterdam that are supported by ECDC.
Read more
- Read the full speech
- ECDC-WHO report Tuberculosis surveillance and monitoring in Europe 2010
- ECDC guidance Management of contacts of MDR TB and XDR TB patients
- Towards TB elimination A follow-up to the Framework Action Plan to fight TB in the EU
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