KULOB, April 16, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- 55 new cases of tuberculosis have been detected in Khatlon’s Vose district over the first three months of this year, which is 16 cases fewer than in the same period of 2008, the Vose chairman Sulton Valiyev announced at a press conference in Vose on April 15.

According to him, five if newly detected TB sufferers in the district are children under the age of 14.

District authorities are taking measures to decrease the TB rate and improve quality of medical services to the TB sufferers.  A large TB hospital has been built in the Mehnatobod jamoat (community) since 2007 and 1.7 million somoni have been spent for construction of the hospital over the past two years.  Nearly one million somoni have been allocated for the project this year despite the financial crisis, Valiyev said.