A TB Action Plan For Scotland: ANNUAL REPORT / 2013

MINISTERIAL FOREWORD

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major global health problem which the World Health Organisation has ranked as the second leading cause of death from an infectious disease worldwide, after the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In Scotland, there has been a mean increasing trend of TB rates from 2008 to 2012, and although there had been a slight decline in 2011 and 2012 it is too early to say that this is a downward trend. In 2011 the Scottish Government published A TB Action Plan for Scotland and since then NHS Health Boards, clinicians, laboratories and agencies have been working towards implementation of the 42 recommendations in the Action Plan and I am grateful to all those involved in this.

It is clear that our Health Boards are providing excellent clinical and laboratory services across Scotland, either directly or through collaboration with neighbouring Boards. However, historical experience with TB control tells us that there is no room for complacency.

The goal of A TB Action Plan for Scotland is aligned with the WHO and ECDC target 'To eliminate, by 2050, TB as a public health problem (incidence <1 per million population)'. To achieve this goal more needs to be done to establish multidisciplinary team approaches for TB case finding among migrants and those who consume excess alcohol, to promote neonatal BCG vaccination, and to continuously improve services such as clinical care, contact tracing and surveillance.

A Monitoring Framework is required to manage implementation of the Action Plan recommendations and to track progress towards the Goal. This will provide those tasked with implementing the recommendations with a tool that will set our clear indicators to demonstrate their achievement.

I am grateful to the members of the National TB Action Plan Monitoring Group and others who have contributed to this Annual Report and am greatly impressed by the commitment of Health Boards in Scotland to reduce the incidence and impact of TB.

Michael Matheson MSP
Minister for Public Health