Viet Nam marks World TB Day, pledges to eliminate TB by 2035

• Viet Nam National Lung Hospital (NLH) convened a meeting themed “Viet Nam Defeats TB” to discuss TB prevention and control challenges and opportunities
• Despite being impacted by COVID-19, Viet Nam’s TB prevention and control efforts are showing signs of positive recovery
• Viet Nam is committed to adjusting its strategy to end TB by 2035

On 24 March 2023, Viet Nam National Lung Hospital (NLH) – National TB Control Program (NTP) convened a meeting in honour of World TB Day. Attendees included government officials, healthcare professionals, and representatives from various organizations. The FIND team in Viet Nam joined the TB community at the event.

The theme for this year’s World TB Day is “Yes, we can end TB!”, which emphasizes the importance of mobilizing collective strength to intensify the fight against TB. In response to this global theme and Viet Nam’s current situation, the theme of Viet Nam’s World TB Day 2023 is “Viet Nam Defeats TB” with a commitment to ending TB.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously impacted the diagnosis and treatment of TB in recent years, with progress achieved until 2019 slowed down, halted, or even reversed, Dr Dinh Van Luong, Director of the NLH and Head of the NTP Executive Board, stated at the event. During the pandemic, TB detection experienced 22% reduction in 2021 compared with 2020 and 24.5% compared with 2019.

In 2022, the Vietnamese government reported a 31% increase in TB cases compared with 2021 and a 1.8% increase compared with 2020. However, only 60% of people estimated to have TB in the community, were discovered. Viet Nam remains among the 30 countries with the highest TB burden, with 169,000 cases and 12,000 deaths reported in 2021, according to the WHO Global TB report 2022.

During the meeting, participants discussed the challenges and opportunities in TB prevention and control in Viet Nam, emphasizing the importance of early detection and treatment, as well as improving access to quality healthcare services for people with TB.

To achieve the objectives outlined in the National Strategy for TB Prevention and Control for the period of 2021–2025 with a vision to 2035, which has been approved by the government, it is required for the Ministry of Health and the NTP to continue implementing certain tasks. These tasks include strengthening advocacy to receive strong commitments from the government and engagement from the entire political system, mobilizing the community to respond to TB prevention and control efforts, and mobilizing diversified investments for TB prevention and control.

“Ending TB in Viet Nam means avoiding the unnecessary deaths of over 12,000 people every year and hundreds of thousands of families no longer having to worry about someone contracting TB,” said Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan.

“We are facing the risk of a TB outbreak in the community. This is one of the reasons why the NTP needs to reassess its goals, update the National Strategy for TB Prevention and Control, and propose adjustments to the roadmap to end TB by 2035,” shared Dr Dinh Van Luong.

“As TB remains a significant public health issue in Viet Nam, one of the main challenges in preventing and controlling the disease is timely and accurate diagnosis. Access to quality diagnostics is crucial for detecting cases and providing appropriate treatment. FIND commit to support Viet Nam in improving TB diagnostics through innovation, technology transfer, diagnostic network optimization, and capacity building for healthcare professionals,” said Dr Van Anh Thi Nguyen, Head of FIND Viet Nam.

# National TB Control Program (NTP) is one of the major partners of FIND in Viet Nam. We work closely with the NTP to offer training, support, and technical expertise to decision-makers and healthcare providers, addressing the prioritized gaps outlined in the National Strategy for TB Prevention and Control.