[Mortality of tuberculosis in Romania, a marker for severity of the endemic]

After reaching the lowest level of tuberculosis mortality rate in 1980, 3.7% hundred thousand (830 deaths), followed by a few years with low levels of mortality, the period following the year 1985 was marked by a gradual increase in the mortality rate and in 1995 it reached 11.3% hundred thousand (2560 deaths). The implementation since 1997 of TB control programmes on medium-term (under technical assistance of WHO experts) has led to a decrease in tuberculosis mortality rate to 1482 deaths, 6.9% hundred thousand, in 2010. Compared to standardized TB mortality rate in Europe, Romania is far from the countries of Western and Central Europe, with a rate 6.6 times greater than in the EU. Standardized mortality rate by sex reveals that the rate for males in Romania, in 2009, was 6.5 times higher than in women. Similar to 2009, in 2010, the deaths have reached a maximum per age group at 45-54 years old. In 2010 the tuberculosis fatality was 4.7% and the lethality was 0.6%. Consistency of tuberculosis control strategy, regarding both measures for early detection of tuberculosis and establishing TB treatment under the direct observation, represent the safety elements in the reduction of tuberculosis mortality rate. It should be reminded that one of the goals of Stop TB Partnership is reducing mortality rate in 2012 at half compared to 1990, Romania being one of the 18 countries included in this plan initiated by the WHO Europe Region Office.