Abstract
BackgroundThe Millennium Development Goals (MDG) provide targets for 2015. MDG 6 includes a target to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) death rate by 50% compared with 1990. We aimed to assess whether this target was reached by the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area countries.MethodsWe used Eurostat causes of death data to assess whether the target was reached in the EU. We calculated the reduction in reported and adjusted death rates and the annual average percentage decline based on the available data.ResultsBetween 1999 and 2014, the TB death rate decreased by 50%, the adjusted death rate by 56% and the annual average percentage decline was 5.43% (95% confidence interval 4.94–6.74) for the EU. Twenty of 26 countries reporting >5 TB deaths in the first reporting year reached the target of 50% reduction in adjusted death rate.ConclusionsThe EU reached the MDG target of a 50% reduction of the TB death rate and also the annual average percentage decline was larger than the 2.73% needed to reach the target. The World Health Organization ‘End TB Strategy’ requires a further reduction of the number of TB deaths of 35% by 2020 compared to 2015, which will challenge TB prevention and care services in the EU.
Highlights
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) provide targets for 2015
Whether the European Union (EU)/European economic area (EEA) will reach a 50% reduction in TB mortality has not been assessed
Cause of death data refer to the underlying cause which - according to the World Health Organization (WHO) definition - is “the disease or injury which initiated the train of morbid events leading directly to death, or the circumstances of the accident or violence which produced the fatal injury”
Summary
The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) provide targets for 2015. MDG 6 includes a target to reduce the tuberculosis (TB) death rate by 50% compared with 1990. One of the eight goals, goal 6, focusses on infectious diseases, i.e. human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), malaria and other diseases. Within this goal there is a target “to have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases”. For tuberculosis (TB), Annually, the World Health Organization (WHO) assesses whether the world is on track for reaching the set targets [5]. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target for the TB incidence rate i.e. a declining incidence by 2015 has been met globally
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
