ArmenPress
March 18 2004

NUMBER OF TB PATIENTS DOUBLES IN TEN YEARS

YEREVAN, MARCH 18, ARMENPRESS: According to the official figures
of the health ministry, the number of Armenians suffering from TB
have doubled in the last ten years and the mortality rate among them
has went up by 40 percent. More people of able age are getting
infected with TB, while the ratio of TB patients among 15-24 years
old is 30 percent.
Speaking on Wednesday at a meeting of an inter-body commission set
up to handle the problem, health minister Norayr Davidian expressed
hope that the commission will contribute heavily to struggle against
TB spread. The national program for fighting TB envisages a range of
preventive measures until 2006. According to experts, the main cause
of TB spread are heavy social-economic conditions and migration
processes.