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THE NATION: Thailand struggling in
- Subject: THE NATION: Thailand struggling in
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 21 Mar 1998 05:35:00
Headlines
Thailand struggling in TB
control effort
THE Public Health Ministry is moving
ahead well in controlling tuberculosis
despite the World Health Organisation
saying Thailand cannot meet its target for
detection and cure by 2000, the director of
the Tuberculosis Division said yesterday.
At a press conference on TB in London on
Thursday, WHO identified 16 countries as
lagging in TB control, including Thailand.
Because of these countries, WHO said it
cannot meet its target of detecting 70 per
cent of cases and curing 85 per cent by
2000.
Dr Wallop Payanant, director of the Public
Health Ministry's TB Division, said because
of a late start in using a new treatment, the
Directly Observed Treatment Short course
(Dots) introduced by WHO in 1996,
Thailand needed five years to meet the
target.
''The country cannot meet the target by
2000. In that year, we expect to achieve
about 70 to 80 per cent,'' he said.
In 1993, Dots was introduced by WHO as
the most efficient way to control the
disease, which has re-emerged because of
Aids. When compared with countries that
have achieved successful control -- such as
Bangladesh, which started using Dots early
and can now cure 80 per cent of TB cases
-- Thailand has been able to use it in only
27 per cent of the country.
''That indicates that TB in Bangladesh is
under control. In addition, the method is
strongly assisted by its non-governmental
organisations. It will successfully meet the
WHO target in 2000,'' Wallop said.
However, he said, a recent review by WHO
showed that Thailand has made significant
progress in TB control. Dots is now being
used in one district in every province from
an initial eight provinces.
The Public Health Ministry also faces the
problem of poor laboratory services, which
WHO evaluated as being needed to
urgently improve the quality of training of
laboratory technicians to detect and locate
TB cases.
BY ARAYA THAWORNWANCHAI
The Nation