AKIPRESS.COM - USAID and the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population launched two new projects: A five-year – USAID Eliminating Tuberculosis in Central Asia (ETICA) Activity and a grant awarded to the World Health Organization (WHO) to “Improved Prevention, Detection, and Treatment of DR-TB in Central Asia.” Both TB projects are part of the USAID Central Asia Regional program that includes specific activities for Tajikistan, the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe said.

The main purpose of both projects is to further increase detection and improve the treatment outcomes of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), and strengthen the enabling environment and financial sustainability of TB and DR-TB programs.

During the launch ceremony, USAID donated supplies, reagents and consumables for rapid drug-resistant TB testing, purchased upon the request of the National TB Program at the expense of $250,000. With a regional budget of $31.6 million across Central Asia, the ETICA project will lead to sustainable improvements in the quality and availability of DR-TB services by building the capacity of National TB Programs in diagnosis, treatment, management, financing, and TB information systems in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan.