Achievements and complex issues for tuberculosis in Ukraine (consolidated view from different regions)

Abstract

Objective — systematic analysis of the results of the questionnaire and the review of the available scientific databases to summarize the achievements and highlight the complex TB issues in Ukraine.Materials and methods. By communicating with doctors of different specialties, doctors on specializa­tion-courses, pre¬certification cycles and cycles of thematic improvement in the specialty «phthisiology», «pulmonology», «general practice — family medicine», «therapy», conducting their questionnaires, we conducted the study of priorities and formulated complex questions and problems to overcome TB in Ukraine.Results and discussion. The most significant achievements of TB control in Ukraine are the tendency to use more TB capacity and to strengthen the results and improve the best laboratory diagnostics, molecular genetic diagnostics, and cultural studies at BACTEC.Doctors are concerned about MDRTB and XDTB and co-infection HIV/TB. These issues were of particular interest and were the first among local supporters (97 % of respondents in phthisiologists and 78 % of general practitioner and other physicians identified as the highest priority).Conclusions. Decrease in the immunity of the population due to the spread of HIV infection, widespread use of immunosuppressive and cytostatic drugs, economic impoverishment and permanent stay in chronic-stress in everyday life of the average population of Ukraine, uncertainty about tomorrow, military conflict in the East part of Ukraine, intensive alcohol and drug addiction, reduction and closing TB hospitals, the reduction in the number of TB staff makes the disappointing prognosis for controlling the situation of the TB epidemic in Ukraine — the worsening of TB epidemic is not excluded in the next few years.