DUSHANBE, December 10, Asia-Plus  -- The Global Fight to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has provided some $17 million to Tajikistan for combating tuberculosis, Mr. Santino Severoni, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) Mission in Tajikistan, announced at a meeting with journalists in Dushanbe on December 10.   

According to him, this project is designed for five years.  He noted that although the amount provided to Tajikistan was quite large, however, it was not enough to provide full-scale fight against TB in the country.  The present TB situation in Tajikistan is very serious, Severoni said, noting that WHO mission in Tajikistan annually provides some $350,000 for purchase o medicines of TB patients in the country.   

The WHO mission head noted that one of the main problems that impeded fight against tuberculosis in Tajikistan was low TB awareness among the population.  “It is possible to prevent spread of tuberculosis when people is well informed of the disease and the TB vaccination campaign is carried out among the whole population,” Mr. Severoni said, noting that another problem is coverage of TB patients with treatment.  

During the news conference it was noted that 171 new cases of TB per 100,000 people have been registered in Tajikistan over the first half-year of 2007.