Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 5-6 December 2018, representatives of Uzbekistan joined their colleagues from Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan at the 4th Regional High-Level Meeting “Migration and Tuberculosis: Transboundary Tuberculosis Control and Tuberculosis Care in Central Asian region "in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria supported the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan, the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center for Phthisiology and Pulmonology, as well as the External Labor Migration Agency of the Ministry of Labor, as well as participation of chief physicians of regional TB hospitals.

During the meeting, government agencies, national tuberculosis programs, migration services, experts from international organizations and representatives of civil society organizations reviewed the results of last year’s action plan and shared their knowledge and best practices to continue multilateral cooperation and improve the detection and treatment of tuberculosis among labor migrants. The participants also identified the following steps to implement the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly on the elimination of tuberculosis in the Central Asian region.

The meeting ended with the adoption of a resolution and recommendations to improve tuberculosis control in Central Asia, combat stigma, provide migrants with education on tuberculosis, as well as improve the exchange of information between governments and international organizations. The resolution will be sent to all government bodies dealing with regional migration issues. Following the meeting, participants will develop an Action Plan and a Roadmap for the next year to coordinate regional efforts.

The United States, within the framework of the USAID Tuberculosis Control Program, is working with the Government of Uzbekistan to limit the spread and reduce the burden of tuberculosis, especially drug-resistant forms of this disease.

The five-year USAID tuberculosis program with a total budget of US$7.6 million supports the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan in implementing the National Tuberculosis Control Program by modernizing laboratories, improving patient access to detecting and treating tuberculosis, training health workers, and improving the quality of tuberculosis control, and provides support to patients and their families.