Surveillance for tuberculosis in the Eastern Mediterranean Region

Tuberculosis is an important public health problem in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It is crucial for each country to develop a national tuberculosis surveillance system. WHO has developed a standardized tuberculosis surveillance system through which two important indicators for tuberculosis control, a cure rate and a case detection rate, can be collected. The number of countries that have adopted the WHO tuberculosis surveillance system has been increasing in the Region. At the moment, 13 countries have reported a cure rate, which is the most important indicator for national tuberculosis control programmes. It is hoped that more countries will adopt this system.