The new HSE ‘Striving to End Tuberculosis – A Strategy for Ireland 2024-2030’ sets out a vision to eliminate TB by reducing health inequities and ensuring agile, innovative and collaborative working.
While the incidence of TB is low in Ireland, there were still 226 cases notified here last year. Increasingly, people with TB are from under-served populations so it’s imperative to remove any barriers to accessing TB care.
The aim is for Ireland to achieve the WHO End TB Strategy target of an 80% reduction in TB incidence between 2015 and 2030. This equates to an annual decrease of 6% in new TB notifications and requires a person-centred collaborative approach involving a range of stakeholders.
Dr Mary O’Meara, CPHM, Chair of the HSE National Tuberculosis Advisory Committee and Dr Éamonn O’Moore, Director of National Health Protection, writing in the strategy said, “ We wish to acknowledge the contributions of all the members of the National TB Advisory Committee and all others who assisted in the preparation of the strategy. We look forward to working with colleagues to implement it. Doing nothing is not an option but together we can achieve real positive change.”
