Summary
The consolidated action plan to prevent and combat M/XDR-TB 2011-2015 was launched by the WHO Regional Office for Europe and endorsed on 15 September 2011 by all 53 countries of the WHO European Region [1]. It was developed to strengthen and intensify the efforts to address the alarming problem of drug-resistant TB in the European Region [2] at the times when the total number of notified XDR‐TB patients in the WHO European Region had almost tripled, from 132 in 2008 to 344 in 2009 [3, 4]. In 2012 in the European region from the estimated 76 400 MDR-TB cases, 33 373 (43.7%) had been detected [4]. In some countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia more than 20% of new TB cases and more than 50% of previously treated cases have MDR-TB [3]. A total of 339 XDR-TB cases were detected in the region, but the information about second line drugs susceptibility remains limited and it is estimated that 9.1% of MDR-TB cases have XDR-TB [4] or from the notified MDR-TB cases about 3 000 people.
By the end of 2015, the implementation of the consolidated action plan is expected to result in 225 000 MDR-TB patients being diagnosed, 127 000 drug-resistant TB patients treated successfully, 250 000 cases of MDR-TB and 13 000 XDR-TB cases averted and 120 000 lives saved. The economic gain in lives saved by the plan amounts to US$ 5 billion over the five years [2].
Today, with one and a half years left for the implementation of the plan, this report provides the members of TB Europe Coalition (TBEC) and the wider community with information about the achievements in the plan’s implementation. At the beginning of 2014, TBEC with financial support of RESULTS UK has undertaken data collection and analysis, focusing on the indicators most relevant to civil society’s participation in TB response and civil society organisations’ (CSOs) collaboration with the government.
Out of the 67 indicators across seven intervention areas, eight indicators were chosen as the most relevant to the work of CSOs. Extent of the Plan’s implementation, according to these eight indicators is presented in this report, followed by a few illustrative cases, recommendations and conclusions.
