NAP and RAA organizes a Conference on Tb control in penitenciaries
September 24th, 2009
The Unit of Implementing the TB Control Programs (UIP-TB) within the National Penitentiaries Administration (ANP) together with Romanian Angel Appeal Foundation (RAA) organized on September 24th a National Conference of disseminating the reached results in implementing the TB control program in penitentiaries.
After more than 100 years since discovering the medicines that can heal most of the cases, TB continues to register every year 9 million new cases worldwide. As for the European region, every EU third TB case is from Romania, EU country with the most cases yearly reported. An alarming trend is the increase of the multidrug-resistant TB cases, having the specialists facing serious problems of diagnosis and treatment.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the TB cases, in some penitentiaries, are up to 100 times higher than to general population. Among the causes are throng, late diagnosis, inappropriate ventilation and also the limited access to medical specialty services.
At the event organized by UIP-TB in collaboration with RAA Foundation had participated the management structures of ANP and of all the penitentiaries in the country, together with specialists from Ministry of Public Health, "Marius Nasta" Pneumophtyziology Institute and also organizations and institutions that develop TB prevention and control activities and intervention, financed by Global Fund Round 6.
There were presented the results obtained in developing the TB control programs in penitentiary system, beneficiary of the Global Fund finance. Continuing the control activities and strengthening them was one of the premises of a successful intervention.
The obtained results are very good, the TB incidence in the penitentiary system decreased from 3.000%000 in 2002 to 650%000 in 2007. Thus these programs must be continued and developed according to the requests and needs specific to the target group and the detention conditions.
It is expected for this conference to have contributed not only to promoting and disseminating some best practice models but also to be a powerful motivation factor for the following TB control and prevention activities in the penitentiary system.
