Tuberculosis (TB) is a highly contagious disease and the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. Globally, TB affected 10 million people in 2018 and 1.5 million people lost their lives from the disease (1). TB cases from the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region represent 8% of the global TB burden, with an estimated 810 000 TB cases in 2018, although only 537 761 cases were notified, which corresponds to a treatment coverage rate (notified/ estimated incidence) of 65% (2). In 2018, a total of 38,000 multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) cases were estimated in the Region; out of whom, only 12% (4566) started on treatment (out of total estimated MDR-TB cases) (2). Within the Region, 95% of the DR-TB burden was reported from five countries (Pakistan 72.4%, Somalia 10.3%, Afghanistan 6.5%, Iraq 2.8% and Sudan 2.8%) (2). The Region achieved a 91% treatment success rate among drug-susceptible TB patients in 2017 and a 65% rate among DR-TB treated patients in 2016, the highest among all WHO regions (2).
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