PMID- 12688094
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20030501
LR  - 20181130
IS  - 1025-9589 (Print)
IS  - 1025-9589 (Linking)
VI  - 14
IP  - 4
DP  - 2002 Oct-Dec
TI  - Tuberculosis control: current status, challenges and barriers ahead in 22 high 
      endemic countries.
PG  - 11-5
AB  - BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (DOTS) 
      short course is cost effective and universally recommended by WHO for effective 
      TB control, it is beyond the financial reach of several highly endemic countries. 
      This article aims at identifying barriers in DOTS's implementation and progress 
      in 22 high burden countries (HBCs) from TB. METHODS: Medline abstracts, published 
      papers and WHO reports were retrieved, critically examined and compared keeping 
      standard parameters of TB control in view. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: The increasing 
      caseload, morbidity and mortality due to TB in high burden countries have become 
      a major health challenge and threat to the health systems. The escalated burden 
      of disease and deaths due to TB has posed a great threat to the international 
      security. In the last decade little progress has been witnessed in the 
      implementation of WHO's recommended strategy called DOTS in the 22 high burden 
      countries. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Brazil, Zimbabwe, S. Africa and Uganda 
      are some of the countries still facing challenges in the effective introduction, 
      implementation and expansion of DOTS. Financial inabilities contribute greatly to 
      the failure of respective national TB control programs. High burden countries are 
      usually in the economic recession or passing through severe socio-political 
      turmoil that has further reduced spending on TB control. Majority depends on the 
      international assistance and put little domestic efforts. Coupled with the lack 
      of political commitment to the issue of TB control, authors urge high TB control 
      Program managers in HBCs to increase spending and pay a great deal of commitment 
      to the universal implementation of DOTS, increase case detection and case 
      management to attain their global targets.
FAU - Ibrahim, Khan M
AU  - Ibrahim KM
AD  - Section of International Public Health (S-IPH), University of Bielefeld, Germany. 
      ibrahim.khan@uni-bielefeld.de
FAU - Khan, Samreen
AU  - Khan S
FAU - Laaser, Ulrich
AU  - Laaser U
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - Pakistan
TA  - J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad
JT  - Journal of Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad : JAMC
JID - 8910750
SB  - IM
MH  - *Developing Countries
MH  - Directly Observed Therapy/economics/*statistics & numerical data
MH  - Endemic Diseases/economics/prevention & control/*statistics & numerical data
MH  - Humans
MH  - Tuberculosis/economics/*epidemiology/*prevention & control
EDAT- 2003/04/12 05:00
MHDA- 2003/05/02 05:00
CRDT- 2003/04/12 05:00
PHST- 2003/04/12 05:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2003/05/02 05:00 [medline]
PHST- 2003/04/12 05:00 [entrez]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2002 Oct-Dec;14(4):11-5.