The Regional Committee,
Concerned that tuberculosis continues to be an important public health problem in Member States with high or intermediate prevalence rates of tuberculosis;
Recognizing that tuberculosis particularly affects the poorest and most vulnerable;
Acknowledging that the WHO-recommended DOTS strategy is a very cost-effective health intervention that achieves high treatment success rates;
Expressing concern that the current detection rate of 47% of estimated new smear-positive cases in the Region is still far below the regional target of 70%;
Expressing further concern at the increasing impact of drug resistance on tuberculosis control in some countries of the Region;
Noting that TB/HIV co-infection is spreading in the absence of coordinated approaches to address the problem;
Noting with concern that there is still a considerable gap in financing tuberculosis control, including financing for antituberculosis drugs;
Welcoming, in response to resolution WPR/RC51.R4, the development of five year (2001-2005) Stop TB national plans in the seven countries in the Region with a high burden of tuberculosis;
Also welcoming the strengthening of the technical capacity of WHO's Stop TB special project in the Western Pacific;
- URGES Member States:
- (1) to accelerate the implementation of DOTS in order to achieve the regional objective of reducing prevalence and mortality of tuberculosis by half by 2010 from 2000 levels;
- (2) to further increase the financial and human resources devoted to implementing the five year (2001-2005) Stop TB national plans and to securing supplies of antituberculosis drugs;
- (3) to establish effective coordination mechanisms between HIV and tuberculosis programmes in order to address tuberculosis and HIV co-infection;
- (4) to strengthen surveillance systems, ensuring monitoring of drug resistance and tuberculosis prevalence and mortality;
- (5) to further strengthen partnerships at the country level through national Inter-agency Coordinating Committees;
- REQUESTS the Regional Director:
- (1) to continue to work with other international organizations to advocate at the highest political level for increased political and financial commitment to tuberculosis control and to enhance international cooperation;
- (2) to further strengthen technical support to countries in the Region with both high and intermediate prevalence rates of tuberculosis;
- (3) to strengthen partnerships in order to increase funding for tuberculosis control in the Region, in collaboration with global Stop TB partners;
- (4) to coordinate efforts to strengthen surveillance to ensure monitoring of drug resistance and tuberculosis prevalence and mortality;
- (5) to develop a regional strategy to address tuberculosis/HIV co-infection;
- (6) to further support Member States to develop tools to measure tuberculosis mortality and to conduct prevalence surveys in countries in the Region with a high burden of tuberculosis.