91997E3645

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3645/97 by Clive Needle (PSE) to the Commission (13 November 1997)

Subject: The rise in the incidence of tuberculosis

The World Health Organization has just published a worrying and unprecedented report on the rise in the incidence of tuberculosis. This specifies a number of developing countries plus Latvia, Estonia and the Russian Federation as 'hot spots' where tuberculosis is resistant to antibiotics and treatment is described as 'therapeutic anarchy'.

Clearly this has implications for several aspects of EU policy and practice in the context of its public health competence as established in Article 129 of the Treaty on European Union.

Will the Commission therefore set out urgently its approach to tackling tuberculosis with particular reference to research and development of new anti-tuberculosis drugs and treatment?

Answer given by Mrs Cresson on behalf of the Commission (13 January 1998)

Research into tuberculosis is one of the priorities of the research programme in the field of biomedicine and health.

During the 4th Framework Programme for RTD ((OJ L 117, 8.5.1990. )), six European research networks were set up, mainly to carry out research into resistance to medication, the development of new vaccines, and also molecular epidemiology, which particularly involves partners in developing countries and in Eastern Europe.

The fight against re-emerging infectious diseases, including tuberculosis, is explicitly outlined in the objectives of the 5th Framework Programme for RTD ((COM(97) 142 final. )) proposed by the Commission, particularly in the objective entitled 'Unlocking the resources of the living world and the ecosystem', key action 'control of viral and other infectious diseases'.