Tuberculosis poses security threat in Russia, official says

Tuberculosis poses a threat to Russia's security and labor force, Mikhail Grishankov, first deputy chair of the security committee of the State Duma, said recently during a roundtable at the World Bank office in Moscow, ITAR-TASS World Service reports.

Grishankov added that the Russian government plans to allocate 26 billion Russian roubles, or about $1 billion, from 2007 to 2011 for a TB prevention and treatment program.

According to Grishankov, "social infections" such as TB and HIV "pose a real threat" to Russia's security because they often affect people during their prime working years, at a time when the country is experiencing a labor shortage. In addition, drug-resistant TB is increasing in Russia and requires more expensive treatment than drug-sensitive strains of the disease. Treatment for drug-sensitive TB costs 2,500 roubles, or about $99, for six months, compared with 1.5 million roubles, or about $60,000, for one year to treat drug-resistant TB, ITAR-TASS World Service reports. Grishankov recommended that government branches work together in TB efforts, noting that "poor awareness of authorities and people is the main obstacle to development of an up-to-date comprehensive inter-agency program" to control TB in Russia.

Most TB patients in Russia are classified as "socially vulnerable," including people who are alcoholics, homeless, migrants or unemployed, ITAR-TASS World Service reports. More than 300,000 TB cases have been registered in Russia, which has a TB incidence of more than 100 cases per 100,000 people in 26 regions. Nearby countries such as Finland, Norway and Sweden have a TB incidence of five to six cases per 100,000 people. According to the World Health Organization, Russia ranks 11th out of the 22 countries with the highest TB burden worldwide and accounts for 35% of all primary TB cases in WHO's European region (ITAR-TASS World Service, 9/22).