A workshop entitled “Preparedness for introduction of the new anti-TB drugs in the treatment regimens for multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Belarus” was held on 28th August 2013 at the Republican Scientific and Practical Centre for Pulmonology and Tuberculosis. At the workshop, which was organized by WHO with the support of USAID, participants had the opportunity to discuss the imminent emergence of new anti-TB drugs for treatment of multi drug resistant forms of tuberculosis.

WHO/Europe and the WHO Country Office, Tajikistan made a comprehensive review of tuberculosis prevention and control in Tajikistan, to make recommendations for improvement in accordance with up-to-date WHO policies.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/EURO) regularly collaborate on tuberculosis (TB) surveillance, prevention and control in the European Union. Based on a request from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Latvia, ECDC and WHO/EURO conducted a joint country visit from 22 to 26 October 2012, with the objective of providing a comprehensive overview of tuberculosis prevention, control and care in the country, and presenting the health authorities with key recommendations and suggested actions to improve work in this area.

Dear Colleagues,

Experts from WHO/Europe and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will answer questions on tuberculosis (TB) during a live Twitter chat on Friday, 22 March 2013, 10.00–11.00 UTC/GMT (11:00–12:00 CET, Copenhagen time). The chat, using the hashtag #TBchat, is part of activities throughout the WHO European Region for World TB Day, marked annually on 24 March.

Over 1000 patients are estimated to fall sick with tuberculosis every day across Europe – or over 380 000 yearly – signalling that there is no room for complacency when it comes to TB prevention and control.

Read the announcement here.

Today (2 October), Romania launches a four-year national plan to fight tuberculosis, during the visit of the WHO Regional Director for Europe and the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy. The Romanian national action plan to prevent and manage multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a timely response to a growing public health threat, to which over 80 000 people in the WHO European Region fall victim each year.

Cases of multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) are rising in the WHO European Region. Every year, around 81 000 people are estimated to fall sick with MDR-TB in the Region but, owing to limited access to diagnosis, only 29 000 were diagnosed in 2010. While 7500 cases of XDR-TB are estimated to occur annually in the Region, only 212 were detected in 2010, owing to limited diagnostic capacity.