SEEHN joined the celebration of the World TB Day marked each year on March 24, with the Institute of Pulmonology and Tuberculosis, Ministry of Health in Skopje, Republic of North Macedonia, and the WHO Country Office.
This year’s World TB Day theme, Yes! We can end TB! reminds leaders that without adequate financial resources to fight TB, it is not possible to reverse the severe impact of COVID-19, nor it is possible to decrease the burden of this devastating disease.
Although Europe has a low incidence of TB, SEE remains one of the largest regions with high incidence of TB and in some settings high prevalence of drug resistant TB.
SEEHN and partners, are working together to support the Member States efforts to eliminate this deadly disease.
In line with the END TB Strategy, there is a need to develop patient-centred integrated services, with a special focus on prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. This can be achieved only with the involvement of all sectors of society, with the adequate engagement of not only, political advisors and health structures but also by actively integrating the community, non-governmental sector and private care providers.
In this line, the development of multidisciplinary intervention is able to provide the necessary social protection along with the health system efforts. In long term this can help mitigate the rise in TB incidence, standing as a crucial mechanism for high incidence TB countries.
Finally, the main message is that steady, consistent and multi-sectorial efforts over the years are needed to end TB.
