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.

Comparative hepatitis A seroepidemiology in 10 European countries.

The WHO recommends hepatitis A virus (HAV) immunization according to level of transmission and disease burden. We aimed to identify susceptible age groups by standardized serosurveys to inform HAV vaccination policy in participating countries: Belgium, Czech Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, and Slovakia. Each country tested national serum banks (n = 1854-6748), collected during 1996-2004, for anti-HAV antibodies. Local laboratory results were standardized to common units. Forty-one per cent of those aged <30 years and 6% of those aged ≥30 years were susceptible to HAV in Romania; compared to 70-94% and 26-71%, respectively, elsewhere. Romania reported high HAV incidence in children and young adults. Other countries reported HAV disease primarily in older risk groups. The results suggest low level of HAV transmission in most of Europe. Romania, however, appeared as an area with intermediate transmission. Vaccination of risk groups in countries with high susceptibility of young and middle-aged adults needs to be continued.

[The prevalence of viral hepatitides among youth]. / Rasprostranenie virusnykh gepatitov sredi molodezhi.

The study of 632 teenagers has revealed that young people are the main group of risk with respect to the spread of virus hepatitides B and C, HIV infection. In accordance with risk factors, the teenagers have been divided into 4 groups: using drugs by injection; leading sexual life; using drugs and leading sexual life; having no risk factor indicated. The presence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C virus infection has been established in 1.42 and 1.27% of cases respectively. This is due to the frequent change of partners, the use of narcotic drugs since school age, the absence of necessary information and contacts with parents. When considering this problem, mass media have been found to play an important role. The presence of reliable information breaking old stereotypes may help parents pay greater and better attention to the upbringing and health of their children.

[Occupational HIV infection. Medical workers and HIV prevention]. / Professional'noe zarazhenie VICh. Meditsinskie rabotniki i profilaktika VICh.

The analysis of the possibility of suffering injuries at a work place, their causes, the knowledge of HIV infection, attitude towards the infected person is presented. The work was carried out, starting from 1990. Every 2 years the anonymous questioning of members of the medical personnel of different specialties at medical institutions of different profile and level was carried out. Five questionings on injuries suffered during work, the knowledge of HIV infection and the attitude of members of the medical profession towards HIV-positive persons. In most cases injuries are inflicted by injection needles (79%), during operations (12%), by splinters of broken medical glassware and appliances (3%) and in other cases (6%). In 91% of cases injuries caused by needles occur in the process of placing caps on the needles. In the course of 9 years changes in the level of knowledge and the attitude towards HIV-infected persons occurred. Changes in the outlook and the knowledge of AIDS were due to the positive influence of intensive education directly at work places.

[Lithuania: the need for a better intergovernmental collaboration]. / Lituanie: la necessite d'une meilleure collaboration intergouvernementale.

PIP: An interview is presented with Saulius Caplinskas, a virologist serving as director of Lithuania's National Center to Combat AIDS and president of the AIDS Foundation, a nongovernmental organization (NGO). AIDS is viewed principally as a health issue in Lithuania, but other institutions are gradually becoming involved. Dr. Caplinskas simultaneously heads both a governmental and nongovernmental organization because some of the activities developed with risk groups are at the margin of existing laws. The NGO allows the government to be spared direct involvement in actions that the society is not yet ready to accept. Prevention programs are lacking in Lithuania because health education and promotion were a low priority of the former Soviet Union, and discussion of homosexuality, drug addiction, and prostitution was forbidden. Social workers are nonexistent in Lithuania. Government AIDS control programs in the region have been medically oriented. Lithuania's government program has a diagnostic laboratory and a department for medical, social, and psychological support of the seropositive. An AIDS hotline and an IEC section working with the general population, mass media, and specific target groups are other activities. NGOs working in the area of AIDS receive only indirect assistance, such as use of meeting rooms. NGOs are a new development in Lithuania, and the official attitude toward them remains cautious. The first priority of the AIDS program is to increase collaboration between specialists in sexually transmitted diseases, drug use, health education, and other relevant areas. A multisectorial approach should be developed to prepare for collaboration with the NGOs.^ieng