Tuberculosis in Trinidad a Small Developing Country: Will we Reach the Millennium Development Goal 8 (MDG8) as we Countdown to 2015?

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological pattern of tuberculosis in Trinidad between 1993-2012, and use this data to answer three questions: (1) where as a developing country we stand in respect to MDG 8? What factors affect the rate of progress? Is it still possible to achieve these goals in the time remaining to 2015?Methods: We used a cohort study design in which all cases attending public facilities for diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis were entered into a database and followed over time. Data on age and gender were recorded. Conclusion:We have not met MDG 8 and we are unlikely to meet this MDG by 2015, adequate resources to detect and treat TB are crucial to the future control and prevention of TB.