BURMA'S TB PROGRAM: SOME PROGRESS, LOOMING PROBLEMS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RANGOON 000134 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS; PACOM FOR FPA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV SOCI TBIO BM SUBJECT: BURMA'S TB PROGRAM: SOME PROGRESS, LOOMING PROBLEMS RANGOON 00000134 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Members of a World Health Organization (WHO) monitoring mission reported that, though progress has been made, serious problems loom in Burma's ability to identify and treat TB patients. Of primary concern are: the rising funding gap, impending drug shortage, increasing rate of HIV-infected TB patients, rising TB death rates, lack of standardized treatment regimes, and the increase of multi-drug resistant TB. WHO mission members provided the Minister of Health a list of recommended actions, and called upon donors and the 3D Fund to address problem areas. 3D Fund reps cautioned against expectations that 3D funding could cover all the gaps. Private sector doctors also make an important contribution, but without substantial new resources, the TB threat in Burma will multiply over the new few years. End summary. Positive Highlights -------------- ¶2. (U) On February 2, WHO sponsored a briefing for the diplomatic corps, INGOs, and local medical organizations on the results of its biannual National TB Program monitoring mission. WHO Mission members expressed satisfaction with the access and cooperation they received from the GOB during the two-week visit. The final report will not be available until the GOB has given its approval. The mission identified the following strengths in Burma's TB program: -- Non-governmental actors: Many INGOs, including PSI, CARE, Pact, World Vision, and AZG provide high quality services for the detection and treatment of TB around the country. Many private General Practitioners also provide TB care, and mission members said public/private partnerships work well. -- Labs: Quality of diagnosis in labs is very good. -- Government support: GOB contribution to the TB program has risen over the past few years (comment: albeit from miniscule amounts. End comment.) -- Drug Supply: Until now, the drug supply from the Global TB Drug Facility has been adequate, with no shortages. The WHO mission expressed concern at an impending cutoff of global drug supply, with no resources yet identified to pay for imports of drugs after 2007. Looming Problems -------------- ¶3. (U) Mission representatives also noted that serious problems exist and more loom in the near future, including: -- Inadequate data: TB case notifications by medical professionals have risen steeply since 1999. The high percentage rates the GOB has reported for detection and successful treatment of TB were called into question, however, when the mission found prevalence rates 300% higher than assumed during a quick survey in Rangoon. The mission noted that, since the true number of cases is not known, Burma's strong performance scores relative to its neighbors were questionable. -- Rising funding gap: The current funding gap of $5 million in the national program will rise to over $15 million by ¶2009. The drugs are expensive, and supplies after 2007 will be cut off as the global supply program expires. Future spending is needed to strengthen the weak supervision of the program around the country and to train more technicians and physicians. -- Rise in HIV co-infection and TB deaths: The rate of HIV co-infection has risen from 4.5% in 1997 to 7.1% in 2005. RANGOON 00000134 002.2 OF 003 The death rate from TB has risen to 5.5%. HIV infection is one reason for rising mortality rates. -- Treatment regimes not standardized, late case diagnosis: The medical system frequently diagnoses TB in its later stages, making treatment more difficult. Also, many different treatment regimes are available domestically, offering consumers confusing and sometimes ineffectual choices. -- The rate of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) is rising, and high numbers of patients in the border areas do not take the full course of treatment. -- Inadequate program supervision is exacerbated by poor infrastructure in rural areas. ¶4. (U) Mission representatives reported that they met the Minister of Health on February 1, and made the following recommendations: address the looming drug shortage; enhance division/district/township level coordination; develop human resource capabilities, especially among lab technicians; plan and implement a TB/HIV-AIDS workshop; bring more medical specialists and General Practitioners into TB care; and resume border health programs to strengthen surveillance of HIV/TB and MDR-TB cases. The WHO mission representative said she hoped donors, including the 3D Fund, would help support these recommendations, and would expand Three Diseases Fund (3D Fund) programs, now restricted to the township level, to division and central levels as well. 3DF Cannot Step In -------------- ¶5. (U) The 3D Fund representative from the EC, Dr. Anne Harmer, responded that the current funding level of approximately US$100 million over five years is not adequate to cover additional programs and that, in fact, the 3D Fund is seeking additional donors. The Fund plans to implement programs in 325 townships, and cannot expand its coverage to the district or central levels. Harmer relayed that 3D Fund donors already face many problems including: the under-funded human resources system; poor infrastructure; lack of coordination; and insufficient capacity at the township level. She added that the Fund must still develop systems for cash management, monitoring, evaluation, and procurement. She also noted delays caused by insufficient UN capacity. Private Sector Engagement Shows Promise -------------- ¶6. (U) Most TB treatment is performed by government physicians, hospitals, and health centers. The UN and INGOs now work primarily with the government health system, but also provide some support to the private sector. Since 2004, Population Services International (PSI) has trained over 300 private doctors with existing clinics to provide TB treatment to low-income communities. Their treatment success rate is one of the highest in the region at 83%, with only a 4% default rate. PSI operates a quality assurance program, and collects and analyzes key TB-related data. According to figures in the national TB Plan, the private clinics that receive assistance from PSI contributed almost 12% of the estimated detection rate. ¶7. (SBU) Comment: The WHO presentation made clear that no one knows the true scope of the problem in Burma and that, without substantial resources - financial, human and technical - TB, including multi-drug resistant strains, has the potential to expand rapidly in the next two to three years. WHO and 3D officials would welcome technical assistance from the US Centers for Disease Control in RANGOON 00000134 003.2 OF 003 designing an effective TB control program for Burma. In the meantime we will continue to work with WHO to urge the GOB to increase its own funding and improve access for other humanitarian providers. End comment. VILLAROSA