PORTFOLIO: TB in Belarus

Belarus is among the most affected countries by multi-resistant and ultra-resistant tuberculosis: there are nearly 38 new cases each year per 100,000 inhabitants, an extremely high rate according to the World Health Organization (WHO) . Tuberculosis is a silent killer, it is the world's deadliest infectious disease: with 10 million people reached in 2017 and 1.7 million people who died in the same year, it is also the leading cause of death in people with HIV. An untreated TB patient can infect an average of 10 to 15 people each year. The most disadvantaged social classes are the most affected, becoming increasingly isolated and stigmatized. To fight against tuberculosis in this Eastern European country, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launched in 2015 a program in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to introduce new drugs - bedaquiline and délamanide - provided in the part of the EndTB project. Patients live at the institute and the treatment can last two years.