Tuberculosis : WHO Report on the Tuberculosis Epidemic, 1997

The control of tuberculosis is a fundamental building block in the global goal for achieving "health for all".

The directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) strategy for TB control is one of the most important public health breakthroughs of the 1990s.

This volume advocates the deployment of DOTS in WHO's fight against the disease.

Using a potent combination of drugs for a period of only six months, the DOTS management system has been proven to cure up to 95% of patients.

Primary health care services can adopt the DOTS strategy and use it widely to make an immediate and visible impact on their communities by curing those with tuberculosis.