TB is a deadly infectious disease which spreads through droplets in the air. In Myanmar, it is still a major health issue and a leading cause of illness for adults between 15 and 49 years. There are approximately 150,000 new cases every year, including dangerous drug-resistant strains.
The latest Myanmar National TB Prevalence Survey shows that late or advanced cases of TB are detected more often in urban slum areas and within mobile and migrant populations compared to stable urban populations who have ready and easy access to health facilities.
A group of international donors who are working to improve health in Myanmar, the Three Millennium Development Goal Fund (3MDG), are trying to support efforts to reach these populations with the purchase of the two screening and treatment vehciles. 3MDG is funded by Australia, Denmark, the European Union, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, and managed by UNOPS.
The new vehicles were handed over to the Ministry of Health and Sports in a ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw. Each vehicle is an easy, one-stop clinic that can travel to different locations, bringing health services closer to people in need. This means that communities at high risk of developing TB can access a diagnostics lab and chest x-ray for diagnosis, and receive treatment for TB.
3MDG is also supporting a comprehensive three-day training programme for operators of the vehicles, conducted in Nay Pyi Taw by the manufacturers.
Each vehicle can be easily maintained in Myanmar. They are capable of generating x-ray images quickly, which means medical staff can check for TB and patients can begin treatment on the spot. The trucks are fully self-contained, with an onboard generator, battery banks and solar panels. This means they can be driven almost anywhere in Myanmar, and begin serving the community immediately.
Mobile TB vehicles improve the efficiency of TB active case finding programmes, which is one of a set of strategies being implemented by the Ministry of Health and Sports as part of the overall national strategic plan for TB control.
The nine 3MDG-financed mobile teams, managed by the National TB Programme, will continue to operate to find cases of TB throughout Myanmar. They improve access to diagnosis and treatment, with a focus on the most vulnerable populations, including prisoners, people living in remote areas and persons infected with HIV. WHO Myanmar notes that this method of case detection has led to a detection rate three times higher than previous for the disease.
3MDG also supports the National TB Programme in its prioritization of drug resistant TB treatment adherence, as well as construction of key infrastructure, including two outpatient departments and a Bio Safety Level III laboratory in Yangon.