Posted: 23.03.2022 16:14:00

WHO: Belarusian doctors pay special attention to tuberculosis prevention

One of the important areas of the national phthisiological service work is tuberculosis prevention – as stated by Vyacheslav Grankov, the co-ordinator of the WHO infectious diseases programmes at the WHO Country Office in Belarus

“This issue is under the doctors’ control since a quarter of the world's population suffer from a latent form of tuberculosis these days. However, it is necessary to remember: even if there is a mycobacterium in the body, there may not be a transition to the active form of the disease since it is reactivated only in 10 percent of cases. To prevent development of the disease, such patients need preventive treatment – and it is primarily necessary to help people with immunodeficiency conditions, such as HIV infection, for example,” Mr. Grankov said.

Tuberculosis mainly affects people of working age. According to statistics, in the WHO European region alone, 43 percent of cases are people aged 25-44.