DUSHANBE, March 17, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A two-day seminar for journalists on coverage of the TB prevention and control issues in media is concluding in Dushanbe today.

The seminar formally titled “Coverage of the TB Prevention and Control issues in Media” was organized by the Ministry of Health (NoH) under technical support of the Project HOPE and the Independent Journalism School “Tajikistan – 21st Century” and financial support of the United States Agency for International development (USAID) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund).

Speaking at the seminar, Ms. Qurbongul Zokirova, a chief TB-prevention specialist with a MoH, revealed yesterday that 18,881 tuberculosis sufferers have been registered with the Republican TB Center to this.  According to her, 6,000 new cases of tuberculosis were detected in the country last year.

“14 TB hospitals, 14 TB-detection labs and 3 TB prevention centers now function in the country,” Zokirova said.