Tuberculosis Surveillance in Romania Among Vulnerable Risk Groups Between 2015 and 2017.

Purpose: Romania has the highest tuberculosis (TB) burden in the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA) comprising almost a quarter (23.4%) of the reported patients in 2017, and a TB notification rate six times higher than the EU/EEA average. Although the overall TB notification rate in Romania declined from 154/100.

Treatment Outcomes in Global Systematic Review and Patient Meta-Analysis of Children with Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) has extremely poor treatment outcomes in adults. Limited data are available for children. We report on clinical manifestations, treatment, and outcomes for 37 children (<15 years of age) with bacteriologically confirmed XDR TB in 11 countries.

A joint cross-border investigation of a cluster of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Austria, Romania and Germany in 2014 using classic, genotyping and whole genome sequencing methods: lessons learnt.

Molecular surveillance of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) using 24-loci MIRU-VNTR in the European Union suggests the occurrence of international transmission. In early 2014, Austria detected a molecular MDR-TB cluster of five isolates. Links to Romania and Germany prompted the three countries to investigate possible cross-border MDR-TB transmission jointly.

[Aspects of TB endemia in Romania and the response of the National Programme for Prevention, Surveillance and Control of Tuberculosis].

In Romania, tuberculosis is a major public health problem. Consistent with the remarkable improvement of success rate in bacteriological confirmed cases from 51% in 1995 to 85.8% in 2011, the global incidence of the disease fell from a maximum of 142.

[Prudent optimism and the evolution of the main indicators of endemic tuberculosis in Romania in 2012].

The implementation of programmes for Tuberculosis Control (NPTC) in the medium term, starting in 1997, who under the auspices and the coordination of the Ministry of Health, was the guarantor of the achievements in these years in TB control, therapeutic success rate of cases being a constant source of 80%. The global incidence of TB (IG) (new cases and relapses) has decreased in the past 10 years with 42%, from a maximum of 142.2per 100 thousand in 2002, to 79.

[Tuberculosis in children in Romania].

According to the World Health Organization and Stop TB Partnership, tuberculosis among children often remains undiagnosed, the main reported causes being lack of access to health services or because health professionals unrecognizing the signs and symptoms of tuberculosis in this age group. In Romania, consistent with TB endemic levels, the overall incidence progressively decreased from 142.2%ooo in 2002 to 82.

[Tuberculosis in Romania between 2006-2008].

The high level of TB incidence places Romania among first places in Europe and on the first place in European Union; in the last years a slowly, but hopefully descending trend can be observed (from 114.2 per hundred thousand in 2006 to 109.8 per hundred thousand in 2007 and 108 per hundred thousand in 2008).

[Multidrug resistant tuberculosis in Romania in the last years (2004-2007)--an extremely important social phenomenon].

The emergence of resistance to drugs used to treat tuberculosis (TB), and particularly multidrug resistant (MDR-TB) strains, has become a significant public health problem in a number of countries and an obstacle to effective global TB control. In many other countries, the extent of drug resistance is unknown and the management of the patients with MDR-TB is inadequate. In countries where drug resistance has been identified, specific measures need to be taken within TB control programmes to address the problem through appropriate management of patients and adoption of strategies to prevent the propagation and dissemination of drug resistant TB, including MDR-TB.

Romanian anti-TB drugs resistance surveillance 2003-2004.

Unlabelled: Romania decided and initiated a DRS for anti-TB drugs at national level using the standardized methodology proposed by WHO and IUATLD. The DRS protocol was designed with technical assistance from WHO; the surveillance started in June 2003 and ended in June 2004. It was tested the susceptibility to the 4 first line anti-TB drugs: Isoniazide (H), Rifampicin (R), Streptomycin (S), Ethambutol (E).

[National Program for TB Control (NPTC): report of 2005 activities, evolution of endemic disease, challenges, priorities].

The authors analyze the current status of anti-TB activity in Romania, in which several factors are involved: the pneumo-phthisiology network, the central unit (M. Nasta Institute of Pneumology), the Health Insurance, Health Ministry as well as international funding and technical assistance units (Global Fund, World Health Organisation). Current TB incidence data are reviewed, as well as the events in NPTC during 2005: training of the personnel involved in TB care (pneumologists and general practitioners, nurses, laboratory staff), improving TB care in risk groups (children, inmates, HIV positives, gypsies), improving the functionality of bK laboratory network, improving access of multidrug resistant TB patients to good quality services, improving the system for acquiring and distributing medication, developing a functional system for monitoring the NPTC, integrating TB in the national system for transmissible diseases survey, elaborating guidelines on different aspects of TB care.