Progressing towards TB elimination - A follow-up to the Framework Action Plan to Fight Tuberculosis in the European Union

ECDC launches ‘Progressing towards TB elimination’, a follow-up report to the Framework Action Plan to fight Tuberculosis in the European Union. This special report is aimed at providing a monitoring framework that can be used to assess Europe’s progress towards the elimination of TB. The report gives an overview of the diverse TB epidemiologic situation in the EU and identifies epidemiological and strategic indicators applicable to all countries, thus providing a homogenous measure of progress towards TB elimination in the EU. This special report is being presented during the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health in Germany, on 11-15 November 2010, where ECDC is chairing the Symposium on ‘Progress towards TB elimination in the EU and beyond: shortcomings and possible solutions in TB control’. Key aspects of the reports include: - A description of the current epidemiological situation in the EU, giving an overview of the current environment in the EU and the range of TB incidence within the EU (from low-incidence countries to high-incidence countries), and placing the EU in a global context. - Four core epidemiological indicators that can provide valid overview of the progress towards TB elimination within the EU. - Eight operational indicators, all specifically related to the eight strategic areas of the Action Plan to Fight TB in the EU. This will allow the assessment of progress in each of these areas. - This monitoring framework is compatible with monitoring activities that are part of existing global and regional collaborations and can be derived from information already collected and reported by countries.