Over 700 people affected by tuberculosis in Kosovo

Shortly after the war, 1760 cases have been diagnosed in 2000.

Tuberculous conditions in Kosovo are mainly 18 to 35 years old and Pristina leads as a city.

Rukije Mehmeti, a counterpart, told Free Europe Radio that the Global Fund for Combating Tuberculosis has greatly helped Kosovo combat this disease since 2000. According to her, although the number of affected has dropped over the years, Kosovo continues to have numerous cases.

The bar for tuberculosis is constantly and people are treated for free. This has contributed to the widespread struggle of this disease. Kosovo stands well in this disease, since we have few people affected with HIV/Aides, which is a key source of tuberculosis disease. Compared to other countries that have resistant and highly resistant tuberculosis, Kosovo stands best, since there are very few cases of resistant tuberculosis and none with extra resistance. This has also greatly influenced that there are not many homeless people in Kosovo who are mainly affected by extra resistance tuberculosis, Mehmeti has said.

In 2017, tuberculosis caused some 1.3 million deaths in the world, while another 10 million were affected. Of those affected, 1 million were children, says the World Health Organisation (OBSH) report.

O The U.S. and the United Nations Organization will hold a meeting in New York where the opportunity to speed up progress toward the goal of completing the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030 will be considered.

In the Ministry of Health, health policies and institutional support are needed for combating disease.

Majlinda Jocaj, national manager for tuberculosis, under the Ministry of Health, announced that the Government of Kosovo has allocated 630 thousand euros for three years to fight this disease, joining the Global Fund that shares the same period of 2m euros.

The fact that the fight for tuberculosis by the Government of Kosovo itself is becoming a priority is to be commended. I mean, Kosovo is joining the global war against this disease. To fight tuberculosis requires a political decision. Money is valuable in combating the disease, and for the next three years, Kosovo has provided drugs for 365 days a year,” said Djocaj.

At the National Institute of Public Health, they say that the epidemiology and tuberculosis are constantly being conveyed with particular emphasis and high priority. According to the Institute's directors, efforts are being made to control the disease and fight it.