DUSHANBE, February 26, 2013, Asia-Plus  -- A new TB lab is expected to open at the Gastroenterological Center in Dushanbe soon, Firouz Davlatov, deputy director of the Republican TB Center, said.

According to him, more than 15 million somoni have been spent to construct and fit out the laboratory that meets international standards.

“It will be the first lab of this kind within the CIS area because it has the third level of biological safety and it is intended for work with microorganisms of high-risk group,” said Davlatov.  “The lab provided with the state-of-the-art medical equipment will meet all international standards.”

The new lab that has been constructed under financial support of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria will allow improving work of the TB centers operating in the country, he added.

According to the statistical data from the Republican TB Center, some 5,000 new cases of tuberculosis were registered in the country last year alone.  The majority of the newly registered TB sufferers are people aged 30 to 50.