Abstract
Walk through one of the overcrowded tuberculosis hospitals in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan, and the reality of the devastation wreaked by this global pandemic is all too apparent. A high incidence of tuberculosis (new case notification rate 261/100 000 per year) exacts a heavy toll on a population already suffering the economic and environmental effects of one of the worst man-made disasters of the twentieth century: the desiccation of the Aral Sea. 1 Small I van der Meer J Upshur REG Acting on an environmental disaster: the case of the Aral Sea. Environ Health Persp. 2001; 109: 547-549 Crossref PubMed Scopus (80) Google Scholar Médecins Sans Frontières arrived in the region in 1997, and began a DOTS (directly observed treatment, short course) treatment programme in collaboration with local tuberculosis services. However, in Uzbekistan only the lucky get DOTS. Only 7% of Uzbekistan's population are covered by the DOTS strategy. 2 WHOGlobal tuberculosis control: surveillance, planning, financing. WHO/CDS/TB/2002.295. World Health Organization, Geneva2002http://www.who.int/gtb/publications/globrep02/index.html Google Scholar Indeed, globally, WHO has recently acknowledged that the pace of DOTS expansion has fallen below expectation. The 70% case-detection target will now not be reached until 2013, not 2000 as originally planned. 3 Raviglione MC Global DOTS expansion: will we reach the targets? Presentation to 33rd IUATLD World Conference on Lung Health, Montreal, Canada, Oct 6–10, 2002. http://www.who.int/gtb/whats-new/montreal_oct02/iuatld/raviglione.ppt Google Scholar
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
