Abstract

The highest tuberculosis incidence in Estonia occurred in 1953 with 47 cases per 100,000. Owing to effective preventive activity and the advent of novel drugs the incidence started to decline gradually. The lowest incidence, 21 patients per 100,000, was registered in 1991–1992 21. Regrettably, the incidence began to rise thereafter and redoubled in five years. In 1998, 47 new disease cases were diagnosed per 100,000. Although the subsequent years witnessed a slow decrease in tuberculosis incidence in Estonia, it is still 5–10 times higher compared with the Nordic countries. In 1997, a national tuberculosis prevention programme was launched for the period 1998 – 2003, which will be continued up to 2007. The goal was to reduce tuberculosis incidence to 23 cases per 100,000 by 2007. The programme is financed from the state budget and its main aims are: (a) maintenance of directly observed treatment (DOT) covering all regions of Estonia; (b) concentration of microbiological diagnostics into two laboratories; (c) following of the incidence and treatment efficiency of tuberculosis; (d) implementation of measures against the spread of tuberculosis.
A specific feature of tuberculosis incidence in Estonia is the high proportion of multiresistant pathogens. Thus in 1997, multiresistant tuberculosis pathogens were found in 10% of the new disease cases.
Considering the spread of HIV infection in Estonia, a threatening problem in the nearest future can be contraction of tuberculosis by HIV patients.