Tuberculosis

Fact sheet

Key facts

• Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the world's greatest killer from a single infectious agent.
• In 2010, 8.8 million people fell ill with TB and 1.4 million died.
• Globally, over 95% of TB deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
• The disease is among the top three causes of death for women aged 15 to 44.
• In 2009, about 10 million children were orphaned as a result of TB deaths among parents.
• TB is a leading killer of people living with HIV, causing one quarter of all deaths.
• Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is present in virtually all countries surveyed.
• The estimated number of people falling ill with tuberculosis each year is declining, although very slowly, which means that the world is on track to achieve the Millennium Development Goal to reverse the spread of TB by 2015.

The situation

• For the Government of Viet Nam, tuberculosis is a national priority.
• The Viet Nam National TB Programme (NTP) was set up in 1986.
• Viet Nam’s tuberculosis control programme has been one of the most successful in terms of treatment outcomes, with success rates of new acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear-positive cases consistently over 90% since 1998.
• Viet Nam ranks 12th among the 22 countries with the highest TB burden in the world.
• Viet Nam also features among the 27 high multidrug resisistant (MDR-TB) burden countries that account for approximately 85% of the world’s estimated cases of MDR-TB. (3.500 MDR-TB cases / year).
• 7.600 TB patients are co-infected with the HIV virus.
• The latest national drug resistance survey (2007) found MDR-TB in 2.7 % of new TB cases, and in 19 % of retreatment TB cases.
• The first national prevalence survey (2006-2007) indicated that the prevalence of acid fast bacteria (AFB) positive pulmonary TB among all age groups was 145 / 100.000; the prevalence of bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB among all groups was 226 / 100.000 population.
• WHO estimates that 180,000 cases of tuberculosis occur in Viet Nam each year (199 / 100.000 population).
• In 2011, 99.000 TB cases were notified.
• Since the mid 2000s, TB case notification (all forms) has declined by 0.8% a year and 1.7% a year for new AFB smear-positive cases.
• Viet Nam is on track to achieve the target linked to the MDG’s and endorsed by the STOP TB partnership:
• 2015: reduce prevalence of and deaths due to TB by 50 % compared with a baseline of 2000

WHO's response

• WHO assists Viet Nam 's National TB programme (NTP) since 2002 with technical expertise on all components of the STOP TB strategy:
• Pursue high-quality DOTS expansion and enhancement;
• Address TB-HIV, multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis, and the needs of poor and vulnerable populations;
• Contribute to health system strengthening based on primary health care;
• Engage all care providers;
• Empower people with TB, and communities through partnerships;
• Enable and promote research.
• WHO was involved in the preparation of the Mid-Term Development Plan 2007-2011 and National Strategic Plan 2011-2015,
• WHO supported the development of successful grant applications to the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM).
• WHO is actively collaborating with the Viet Nam Stop TB Partnership – a voluntary alliance of organizations drawn from the public, civil society and private/business sectors committed to work collaboratively towards TB prevention, care and control.