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March 25, 2003, Tuesday 1:30 AM Eastern Time

SECTION: WORLD NEWS; SCIENCE, CULTURAL, EDUCATION, HEALTH
LENGTH: 203 words
HEADLINE: Myanmar makes progress in TB treatment
DATELINE: YANGON, March 25

BODY:
Myanmar has been making progress in treating tuberculosis (TB) with the application of the strategy of directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) since 1997, recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

By the end of 2002, 309 townships out of 324, or 95 percent of the coverage, followed DOTS strategy to treat TB, and this year the remaining townships will follow suit after which all the townships will be covered with DOTS, according to the latest figures issued by the Ministry of Health.

The figures show that 60 percent of the TB patients were taking treatment annually with DOTS strategy and 82 percent of them were cured, bringing about 100,000 cured TB patients since 1997.

Meanwhile, the WHO has set objectives to have 70 percent case detection and treatment success rate to reach 85 percent in the country by 2005.

TB has been prioritized as a disease of national concern in Myanmar's national health plan.

Myanmar formed the Central Supervisory Committee for Prevention and Control of TB in 1993 and health budget increased to 10,509.8 million kyats (10.5 million US dollars) in 2003 from 464.1 million kyats (1.3 million dollars) in 1998, according to the ministry.