Tuberculosis remained endemic despite the response (PNT)

Dakar, July 13 (APS) – Tuberculosis remained an endemic disease in Senegal despite efforts by the government and its partners to reduce the disease burden, said Friday in Dakar Marie Sarr, National Program Coordinator

Responding to the opening of an advocacy workshop for Senegalese elected representatives in the fight against tuberculosis, Dr. Sarr linked the persistence of the disease to "missing or undetected that maintain its transmission in the community. "

" The health sector acted with health levers, and community leverage was also used, but the expected results did not live up to expectations. We still need other approaches today, "said the PNT coordinator.

She recalled the current management strategies based on a large number of treatments. atuit, the availability of drugs in all health structures and nutritional support for patients.

"But the fight is made difficult by the emergence of a new form resistant to drugs, requiring more treatment "

Every year 300 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis are expected while only 70 cases are detected, according to the data of the Ministry of Health and Social Action. 19659002] Thus, in line with the 2030 global TB elimination strategy called "End TB" initiated by the World Health Organization, the NTP intends to set in motion "new strategies with a paradigm shift. to activate other levers that can eradicate the disease. "

This is essentially the sectoral lever with the involvement of other ministries, the sensitization of decision makers, whores, counselors and all institutions to be fully imbued with challenges, said the coordinator of the NTP.

Supporting the idea is to "share this problem and invite them to support the NTP because it is more a struggle of the health sector but a multisectoral struggle to have defenders. "

" We need a synergy of all to place the NTP in a better framework in the coming years for more efficient results ", pleaded Dr. Marie Sarr.

Member of the Health Committee of the National Assembly, MP Juliette Zinga made commitments on behalf of her peers to accompany the NTP while inviting them to help them "identify the actions that are coming back to everyone to sound the death knell of the disease. "

" The elected officials are the first ones arrested to accompany the program to share the results to have a synergy of actions for the researches of financing. targeted and harmonize what we do in the fight, "she said.

Member of the High Council of Local Authorities, Alassane Cissé thinks that the disease is endemic because of the habits in the habitat with houses built like pagodas where the air does not circulate.

"It's everyone's business is a public health problem that also appeals to elected officials and communities," he said

"When we put a curative treatment it is because we failed in prevention. We can not have a better target than the parliamentarians, "said Dr. Alioune Niang, a pulmonologist who made a presentation on the treatment of the disease.

So it is about" understanding the social determinants of the disease to raise awareness on prevention, "he added.In 2017, the PNT counted 13,605 tuberculosis all forms including 10,117 contagious TB with 86% therapeutic success and 3% of deaths.

L Epidemiological analysis has also shown that the disease burden is particularly concentrated in six regions: Dakar (42% of cases), Thies, Diourbel, Saint Louis, Kaolack, Ziguinchor

ADL / AKS / PON