Vietnam strongly commits to investment and action to defeat tuberculosis

Vietnam had more than 113,000 TB cases detected in 2024, up 7% over the previous year, and the treatment success rate reached 89%.

Vietnam strongly commits to investment and action to defeat tuberculosis

Vietnam had more than 113,000 TB cases detected in 2024, up 7% over the previous year, and the treatment success rate reached 89%.

The National Tuberculosis Control Program marks a major step forward in tuberculosis prevention, creating unprecedented milestones in Vietnam's medical history.

March 24 - World Tuberculosis Day: A deeply political event, emphasizing the importance of raising public awareness of tuberculosis and calling for the whole society to join hands in the fight against this "silent epidemic". The ceremony in Hanoi, organized by the Central Lung Hospital in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Control Program, brought confidence and hope to millions of Vietnamese people.

"We are winning step by step in the fight against tuberculosis," said Dr. Dinh Van Luong, Director of the Central Lung Hospital and Head of the National Tuberculosis Control Program. In 2024, the National Tuberculosis Control Program achieved remarkable results.

Dr. Dinh Van Luong, Director of the Central Lung Hospital, Head of the Executive Board of the National Tuberculosis Control Program spoke at the Celebration Ceremony.

"We detected more than 113,000 cases of tuberculosis, the rate of tuberculosis patients with evidence of bacteria was over 72% and the successful treatment rate reached 89%. This result not only affirms the efforts of the health sector but also demonstrates the consensus of the community in dealing with a dangerous and persistent disease," emphasized Dr. Dinh Van Luong .

Accordingly, the successful treatment rate for sensitive tuberculosis reached 89.1%, while the figure for drug-resistant tuberculosis also surpassed the global average at over 70%. These achievements come from the widespread deployment of the health system with 63 provinces and cities having anti-tuberculosis units, along with more than 860 treatment facilities and 406 GeneXpert machines - the most advanced testing technology today, helping to detect tuberculosis quickly and accurately.

Despite facing significant challenges, especially limited financial resources and declining support from international funds, TB prevention and control in Vietnam is still moving forward steadily. Professor Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, commented that Vietnam has maintained a nationwide TB prevention and control network, ensuring that 100% of the population can access TB prevention and control services. This is an encouraging achievement, reflecting the efforts of the entire political and social system.”

In addition, Vietnam has implemented strategies such as applying Xpert testing technology - next-generation gene sequencing to detect tuberculosis early and accurately, thereby providing effective treatment. A breakthrough approach to help detect tuberculosis early and prevent its spread in the community.

Despite Vietnam’s impressive achievements, TB prevention and control still faces many challenges. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that Vietnam still has about 182,000 new TB cases, nearly 10,000 drug-resistant TB patients, and more than 11,000 people die from TB each year. These figures show the severity of the TB situation in Vietnam and the need for a major change in approach.

In particular, the situation of drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise, which poses a major challenge in maintaining the successful treatment rate. Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan shared that Vietnam currently ranks 10th out of 30 countries with the highest number of drug-resistant tuberculosis patients. This is a problem that we must resolutely face and solve.

With strong commitment from the Government and support from the community, Vietnam has set the goal of “ending tuberculosis” by 2035. This requires not only the efforts of the health sector but also the participation of all social classes.

Dr. Dinh Van Luong called on departments, social organizations and people to join hands so that every Vietnamese person can access tuberculosis prevention services. In particular, it is necessary to include tuberculosis training programs in medical training institutions, helping the future generation of doctors have sufficient knowledge to effectively prevent and treat tuberculosis.

The government has also pledged to increase financial resources to ensure that health facilities have the necessary medicines, equipment and resources. However, effective TB prevention and control requires community contributions. Fundraising campaigns such as the TB Support Fund have motivated thousands of poor patients, demonstrating the spirit of mutual support of the Vietnamese people.

2025 will be a year that marks major turning points in TB prevention and control. According to Dr. Dinh Van Luong, with the strong implementation of TB prevention policies and the application of advanced testing techniques, it is expected that the rate of patients detected early will reach 70%. This will help reduce morbidity and mortality, and achieve the goal of ending TB earlier than the global roadmap.

With concrete actions and strong commitments from the Government, the health sector, and the community, Vietnam can absolutely achieve this great goal. This will be a great victory, not only for the health sector, but for the entire nation, in repelling a disease that has had a serious impact on health, the economy, and society for decades.

Throughout the journey of fighting tuberculosis, the spirit of mutual love of the Vietnamese people has always been a great source of motivation. The Fund to Support Patients to Overcome Tuberculosis has received enthusiastic support from the community, with tens of thousands of messages of contributions, helping more than 2,300 tuberculosis patients in difficult circumstances. These actions demonstrate the spirit of humanity, solidarity and sincere concern for those facing this dangerous disease.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/viet-nam-cam-ket-manh-me-dau-tu-va-hanh-dong-de-chien-thang-benh-lao-d258438.html