Tuberculosis is a leading cause of ill-health and death in low and middle income countries. Tuberculosis control is essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals relating to health by 2015. However, despite efforts made to expand tuberculosis control over the past decades, tuberculosis remains a serious global health problem. This book aims to assist the expansion of tuberculosis control by adding to the evidence on the cost-effectiveness of different tuberculosis control strategies. It presents research from five countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Syria, Peru and Ukraine. It examines the implementation of the World Health Organization recommended strategy, Directly Observed Treatment Strategy (dots). New technologies currently being developed to tackle drug resistance are also assessed. Emphasis throughout is placed on the importance of health systems and the costs for patients accessing treatment. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in economic aspects of tuberculosis control.

Anna Vassall is a leading advisor to several international organizations and governments in the area of health economics. Her specific focus is on strengthening health sector planning and investments in low and middle income countries, by supporting the generation and use of economic evidence..

Contents - 6List of Abbreviations - 8Chapter 1: General Introduction - 10Chapter 2: Cost-effectiveness of different treatment strategies for tuberculosis in Egypt and Syria - 24Chapter 3: Reforming tuberculosis control in Ukraine; results of pilot projects and implications for the national scale-up of DOTS - 38Chapter 4: Cost effectiveness analysis of introducing rapid, alternative methods to identify multidrugresistant tuberculosis in middle income countries - 56Chapter 5: The patient costs of accessing collaborative TB/HIV interventions in Ethiopia - 74Chapter 6: Estimating the resource needs of scaling-up HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis interventions in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review for national policy makers and planners - 88Chapter 7: General discussion and conclusion - 114Chapter 8: Summary/Samenvatting - 122