KHUJAND, October 4, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- 344 new cases of tuberculosis have been registered in the Sughd province this year, which is 7.1 percent of a total number of persons examined (4,833 people), Nail Sitdikov, coordinator of the DOTS (Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course) lab service for Sughd, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.   

According to him, the rate of detectability is 5-10 percent.  The largest numbers of new cases of tuberculosis have been detected in Istaravshan and Zafarobod - 26 and 25 cases respectively,” Sitdikov.

DOTS is a cost-effective and affordable strategy for controlling TB.  In general, if implemented appropriately, DOTS programs should achieve treatment success among at least 85 percent of sputum smear positive pulmonary TB patients; DOTS can also limit the emergence and spread of drug-resistant TB. DOTS can be adapted to a variety of different settings and local conditions, and the regimens used are also effective in curing TB in people who are co-infected with HIV.

DOTS strategy combines appropriate diagnosis of TB and registration of each patient detected, followed by standardized multi-drug treatment, with a secure supply of high quality anti-TB drugs for all patients in treatment, individual patient outcome evaluation to ensure cure and cohort evaluation to monitor overall program performance.