In 2013 in Armenia 1055 new cases of tuberculosis (TB) were registered, said the director of the National Center for Tuberculosis Control in the Ministry of Health of Armenia Armen Hayrapetyan at a press conference on March 24.

"Since 2006 and up to this day TB incidence and mortality from the disease have fallen. In 2013 the number of new cases reported was 1055, which is less than in previous years ", - said Hayrapetyan.

For comparison in 2012 there were 1125 new cases of TB registered, in 2011 there were 1247 cases. From the other hand, during the last three years the number of cases of drug-resistant form of TB has increased slightly: in 2013 there were 104 patients registered with drug-resistant form of the disease, in 2012 there were 101 patients, and in 2011 – only 88.

According to Hayrapetyan, the TB treatment in Armenia is rather effective: in 2012 about 89% of patients with regular, antibiotic sensitive form of TB were successfully treated, as well as about 60% of patients with drug-resistant form of TB. ''The aim of the WHO is to treat 85% of patients by 2015, and we will be able to reach that figure, '' said Hayrapetyan.

Now in Armenia there are 1000 patients with TB, 261 of which, as of March 1, 2014, have the drug-resistant form of the disease.

What for mortality from TB, in 2013 the number of patients who died from TB was 49, in 2012 it was 60, and in 2011 – 45.