Viet Nam: Fight against drug-resistant TB has come a long way

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Viet Nam ranks 12th among 22 high burden tuberculosis (TB) countries, and 14th among 27 high burden multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) countries in the world. "2.7% of new TB cases, and 19% of previously treated cases have MDR-TB in Viet Nam" said Dr Hoang Thanh Thuy of Viet Nam's national TB Programme (NTP). She was speaking with Citizen News Service – CNS at the 4th Union Asia Pacific Region Conference on Lung Health in Hanoi, Viet Nam. Viet Nam has 3,700 MDR-TB cases annually. Although evidence is weak due to lack of data but people living with HIV (PLHIV) are more likely to get drug-resistant TB, said Dr Thuy basing her observation on higher MDR-TB rates in places where TB-HIV co-infection was reported more in Viet Nam.