AKIPRESS.COM - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) donated 30 cutting-edge tuberculosis (TB) testing machines to the people of Uzbekistan. The equipment worth $381,000 was handed over by USAID Mission Director in Uzbekistan Mikaela Meredith to the Deputy Minister of Health Ulugbek Sabirov at the ceremony in the Republican Specialized Scientific and Practical Medical Center of Phthisiology and Pulmonology.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health, USAID, and international partners, Uzbekistan has made great strides in reducing TB cases and associated deaths. However, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) continues to be a significant issue in the country. USAID works to reduce the TB burden in Uzbekistan and Central Asia by building local and regional capacity to improve the detection and treatment of MDR-TB.

GeneXpert, an innovative technology introduced by USAID, makes on-demand molecular testing available to everyone with unprecedented speed and ease-of-use. The unparalleled efficiency and ease-of-use will add unseen value to primary health care to take full advantage of the speed and accuracy of molecular diagnostics. GeneXpert testing also checks whether a particular patient’s TB case is resistant to rifampicin, an antibiotic frequently prescribed to treat tuberculosis, allowing doctors to choose medication that will be effective for the patient.