As part of World Tuberculosis Day, celebrated on March 24, the nation’s Ministry of Health presented the Sixth Bulletin on Tuberculosis and Leprosy in Argentina, which aims to strengthen the work of health teams in the care of these diseases.

“Today we have an opportunity to continue to strengthen the key points of progress in the fight against tuberculosis, and for this we must work by thinking outside the health teams, within the framework of intersectoral and inter-ministerial strategies,” said the Undersecretary for Strategies. Health, Juan Manuel Castelli.

The bulletin indicates that in Argentina during 2021, 12,569 cases of tuberculosis were reported, of which 11,884 were new and relapsed. In this sense, the national average for total cases was 27.4 per 100,000 residents and about 60% of cases were diagnosed among young people and those of productive age (15 to 44 years).

“It is inevitable that tuberculosis has a relationship with the social determinants of health, which requires a high level of clarity that Law 27675 calls for. We have a big challenge ahead of us, ”added Castelli, who highlighted the strengthening of the diagnostic network implemented by the National Health Portfolio since 2020, as well as on access to dispersible medications for children and adolescents, and the approach to people in incarcerated contexts.

For her part, the National Director of Communicable Diseases, Teresa Strella, emphasized that “the issues presented in the bulletin challenge us to develop new strategies and we must necessarily integrate other institutions in the fight against tuberculosis. The new law and the possibility of forming joint action between institutions and sectors must allow us to move forward to achieve the results that we want We set ourselves as goals.

During the presentation, it was highlighted that in the past two years the Ministry of Health of the country had delivered 11 GeneXpert equipment to various hospitals in the country, and provided cartridges for the use of these equipment and those that were already in operation in other countries. Judicial authorities.

The policy of strengthening the national network of tuberculosis laboratories has made it possible to increase rapid molecular diagnostic tests that contribute to early and timely diagnosis. With the integration of this equipment, which allows to obtain a result in just two hours, thus starting the most effective treatment plan, in 2021 more than 11,000 decisions were carried out, which is 327% more than those made in 2020.

The meeting also highlighted the creation of “Observa TB Argentina”, a space for disease surveillance and monitoring, made up of a network of civil society and NGOs working on tuberculosis, which also participated in the event.

Also noted was the training work carried out by the Coordination of Tuberculosis and Leprosy Control, which was demonstrated with other regions of the state, enabling the training of more than 300 promoters, nurses and participants in the El Estado en tu Barrio Program health teams. on the Prime Minister.

In this sense, Director of Response to HIV, STIs, Viral Hepatitis and Tuberculosis Mariana Siriotto added that “Our mission is to articulate the different sub-sectors and levels of the health system in serving people with efficient and friendly access to care.. This is the view that We must prioritize it with the possibility of implementing social support measures.”

Another central line of action highlighted is the active search for cases in priority groups, as well as the approach to Indigenous peoples within the framework of communication with different national programs and government agencies such as the National Indigenous Institute (INAI)..

The Coordinator for Tuberculosis and Leprosy, Marcella Natiello, and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Advisor on HIV, Hepatitis, Tuberculosis and STDs also participated in the presentation.

Data on tuberculosis in Argentina

In 2021, there were 12,569 reported cases of TB, a national rate of 27.4 per 100,000 population (15.3% higher than in 2020). There were notable differences between the jurisdictions, although there were cases of tuberculosis in all of them. The increase in notification should be mainly attributed to the recovery of cases after the health emergency caused by COVID-19.

Buenos Aires Province and the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires have the highest number of cases, with 65% of reported cases concentrated in the country. However, the highest notification rate was in Salta Province with a value of 49.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, while the lowest rate was in Neuquen, with a rate of 4.2.

14.4% of cases involved children and adolescents under 20 years of age – the highest rate in this age group is in CABA, at 31.9 per 100,000 population with a total of 99 cases.

Finally, in 2021, 734 deaths from tuberculosis were recorded, which is a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 population.