By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

The Brazil Ministry of Health launched this month the National Plan to End Tuberculosis as a Public Health Problem – Strategies for 2021-2025 . The document aims to inform state and municipal tuberculosis coordination and civil society about the plan’s goals, indicators and execution.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria/CDC

Among the goals stipulated by the initiative are reducing the incidence of the disease to less than 10 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, in addition to reducing it to one death per 100,000 inhabitants by the year 2025. It will be necessary to strengthen strategies to maintain diagnosis, treatment and prevention as essential services to the population, and work in an engaged way to overcome the impacts of the pandemic and accelerate progress towards the commitments made”, explained Gerson Pereira , director of the Ministry of Health’s Department of Chronic Diseases and Sexually Transmitted Infections.

The Plan is based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategy to End Tuberculosis. Prepared by the National Tuberculosis Control Program, with the participation of state and municipal managers, academia and civil society, it was submitted to public consultation and approved by the Tripartite Inter-Management Committee.

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The plan is divided into three pillars. The first concerns prevention and integrated care to diagnose and treat all forms of the disease, in addition to intensifying collaborative activities on HIV and prevention actions for vulnerable populations. The second pillar refers to policies and support systems, which aim to strengthen commitment and guarantee resources for actions. The third pillar addresses the establishment of partnerships to carry out research on topics of interest to public health and the incorporation of innovative technologies and initiatives to improve tuberculosis control.