Tuberculosis remains a major public health challenge in Georgia. In 2019, the estimated incidence rate for TB was 74 per 100,000 population and the mortality rate was 4.1 per 100,000 population [1]. In the same year, 2,169 TB cases were notified. It is also estimated that 12% of new cases and 32% of previously treated cases were MDR/RR-TB. In 2017, MDR/RR-TB treatment was initiated in 316 patients, of which 64% were successfully treated.
Given the significant MDR-TB burden in Georgia, the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (NCTLD) in Tbilisi was selected to participate in Stage 2 of the trial. Georgia is the fifth country and the eighth site to initiate STREAM Stage 2. NCTLD completed recruitment in late 2019, enrolling 32 participants for Stage 2.
The NCTLD was founded in 2001 as a non-profit organization that combined the Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Tbilisi’s TB Hospital, and the Georgian Railway TB-Stationary. The NCTLD designed and currently oversees implementation of the National Tuberculosis Program at health facilities throughout the country. It also provides TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
[1] Mortality rate includes HIV-positive TB cases
