The historical experience and practice of fight against tuberculosis in country which is one of the high drug resistant-tuberculosis (DR-TB) burden countries in European Union (EU)

Despite considerable efforts and quite early initiated anti-tuberculosis (TB) actions, Lithuania still remains one of the European Union (EU) countries with the highest tuberculosis rates, especially multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB. According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, in 2016, 58 994 cases of TB were reported in 30 EU/European Economic Area (EEA) countries. MDR TB was reported for 3.7% of 36 071 cases with drug susceptibility testing results and continues to be highest in the three Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In this article we present the Lithuanian anti-TB action history review and comparison with other countries in this area of action. Literature review was performed by using documents available in the Martynas Mazvydas Library's resource, articles of foreign authors and archival materials. According to archaeological studies, tuberculosis was common in Europe including Lithuania in the Middle Ages. Tuberculosis reporting started in Lithuania in 1926. The first tuberculosis sanatorium in Lithuania was opened in 1891. Patients were treated with sun bathing procedures, fresh air and sunlight. Later the treatment included pneumothorax, toracocaustic, toracoplastic, treatment with gold products and other procedures. Lithuania introduced directly observed treatment, short course therapy (DOTS) in 1999, and since 2007 it has been working in accordance with the requirements of this strategy.