ARMENIAN HEALTHCARE TO FOCUS ON TUBERCULOSIS PREVENTION

ARKA
March 21, 2008

YEREVAN, March 21. /ARKA/. The major task of fighting tuberculosis
in Armenia is prevention, Vahan Poghossyan, Head of the RA National
Program for Fighting Tuberculosis, said at the public discussions
entitled "I will stop tuberculosis epidemics! System approaches and
prospects of healthcare".

"Armenia faced serious difficulties fighting tuberculosis and
preventing the disease from spreading in 1990-1995. The situation
improved significantly with the introduction of short method of disease
treatment assisted by World Health Organization" Poghossyan said.

Poghossyan explained that Armenian healthcare crisis of 1991-2001
hampered the introduction of an effective tuberculosis fighting
system. Since 2001 Armenian government has annually developed
and approved a list and schedule of disease fighting measures,
Poghossyan said.

The major task facing the Armenian healthcare system, Poghossyan
stressed, is to hinder possible regress of achieved successes and to
ensure further development.

"Meanwhile, we must proceed with fighting the epidemics especially
given the fact that the disease has been spreading steadily in recent
years," Poghossyan added.

The number of people suffering tuberculosis in Armenia was 3,500 in
2007 as compared to 5,800 in 2005. World Health Organization 2007
report says 445,000 people suffered tuberculosis in European countries
and 66,000 people died of the disease last year. Tuberculosis is
most widely spread in Eastern Europe, especially in the post-Soviet
territory mostly caused by poverty and poor healthcare system. –0–