Drug prescribing practices for tuberculosis in Uzbekistan.

Setting: Uzbekistan has had 100% DOTS coverage since 2005; however, the treatment success rate has remained at around 80% for the last 4 years. Surveys from the capital city of Tashkent and from western Uzbekistan have shown high levels of primary multidrug resistance.

Objective: To assess treatment regimens prescribed for new cases of tuberculosis (TB), including the prescription of additional non-TB drugs, and the cost implications for the patient.

Default from tuberculosis treatment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan; who are these defaulters and why do they default?

Background: In Tashkent (Uzbekistan), TB treatment is provided in accordance with the DOTS strategy. Of 1087 pulmonary TB patients started on treatment in 2005, 228 (21%) defaulted. This study investigates who the defaulters in Tashkent are, when they default and why they default.

Health-care seeking behaviour for TB symptoms in two provinces of Uzbekistan.

In Uzbekistan, mass X-ray screening for TB is still used. The groups targeted are broad and include at least 50% of the population. Of all pulmonary TB cases, 73% are reported to be detected by this method.