China is planning to increase funding for tuberculosis control and provide free treatment to the poor.

"In the following several years, the budget for tuberculosis is expected to exceed 100 million yuan," Yu Jingjin, a senior official of the Chinese Health Ministry said here Friday at the 55th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee of the Western Pacific.

China is one of 22 countries with the highest number of tuberculosis cases. Currently, the country has about 4.5 million people suffering from the disease. Nearly 130,000 people die of tuberculosis each year. The WHO estimated that each year China has 1.45 million new tuberculosis cases, among which 650,000 are highly infectious.

"More than eighty percent of China's tuberculosis patients are living in rural areas, especially in the poor areas, and many of them can't afford proper medical treatment," Yu said.

China has earmarked 40 million yuan (about 4.8 million US dollars) every year since 2001 to provide free medicine to pulmonary tuberculosis patients among migrant workers and the rural poor.

"In the following years, the budget for TB control and prevention is expected to be increased significantly," he said.

Yu said China's goal is to have nationwide access to the WHO recommended TB control strategy, which has a 90 percent recovery rate and a 70 percent detection rate. China's recovery rate with the method has been more than 90 percent since 1994 and, at the end of 2003, 85 percent of China used the method.

"The difficult area is in the case detection rate," Yu said. In2003, the tuberculosis detection rate in China was 45 percent, still far lower than the 70 percent target.

Statistics from the WHO showed that among all the estimated two million tuberculosis patients in the Western Pacific Region, there were only 806,460 reported cases.

"The overall case detection rate in the region is 39 percent. It is estimated that, in order to close the gap and reach the 70 percent target, an additional 285,000 TB cases must be detected. About 90 percent need to be identified in China," Shigeru Omi, regional director of the WHO Western Pacific Region said in the report at the session.

In order to secure the national target in 2005, Yu said China has intensified the TB control measures, including putting more phlegm check positions and tracing patients through the nationwide computer-based disease reporting network.

"With all the measures and efforts, I believe the 70 percent target will be reached by 2005," Yu said.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2004)