The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tuberculosis (TB) causes around 11,000 deaths in Vietnam every year, making the country one of the top 12 out of 30 countries with the highest TB burden worldwide.

This information was shared by Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, during the World TB Day celebration organized by the National Lung Hospital on March 24.

According to Dr. Thuan, WHO reported that in 2023, TB remained the leading cause of death among infectious diseases, with approximately 10.8 million new cases and 1.25 million deaths globally.

"Vietnam continues to be one of the 30 countries with the highest burden of TB and multidrug-resistant TB worldwide," stated the Deputy Minister. In 2024, the country recorded over 113,600 new TB cases, a 7% increase from the previous year, marking the highest detection rate ever, including nearly 4,000 multidrug-resistant TB cases.

High success rate in TB treatment

Currently, the success rate for treating new and recurrent TB cases remains high at nearly 90%, surpassing the global average of 88%.

Despite these achievements, Dr. Thuan acknowledged that much work remains as Vietnam's TB situation is still severe. WHO estimates that Vietnam has about 182,000 new TB patients, 9,900 multidrug-resistant TB cases, and approximately 11,000 TB-related deaths annually.

Dr. Dinh Van Luong, Director of the National Lung Hospital, revealed that in 2023, Vietnam ranked 12th among the 30 countries with the highest TB burden and 10th among those with the most multidrug-resistant TB cases globally.

According to Dr. Luong, ending TB requires strong support and commitment from leaders at all levels, sectors, and social organizations to ensure sustainable financing and coordinated implementation of TB prevention and control measures from central to local levels.

He emphasized that TB control efforts must be integrated into routine healthcare services. Healthcare facilities should incorporate TB screening into regular medical examinations and link screening, detection, diagnosis, and treatment with electronic health records. Furthermore, medical schools should include mandatory TB training to equip healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge and certification to manage TB cases effectively.

Enhancing early detection and financial sustainability

To detect TB early at the grassroots level, localities need to improve the diagnostic network by widely utilizing Xpert testing. Collaboration with partners should be strengthened to expand TB screening efforts, particularly in prisons, industrial zones, export processing zones, and private healthcare facilities.

"Currently, the country has 20 million electronic medical records, and this number will continue to rise. Once electronic health records fully integrate TB management, prevention and control efforts will be more efficient," noted Dr. Luong.

To secure sustainable financial resources for TB prevention and control, Dr. Luong called for increased investment from the state budget and health insurance, given that international aid is gradually decreasing and will eventually cease.

What is tuberculosis?

Tuberculosis is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can affect almost any part of the body, but pulmonary TB (affecting the lungs) is the most common form, accounting for 80-85% of cases and being the primary source of transmission.

The risk of TB transmission is influenced by the number of TB bacteria expelled by an infected person, the ventilation of the exposure area, and the duration of contact with aerosolized bacteria. The higher the bacterial load and the longer the exposure, the greater the risk of infection.

Vo Thu