More than 500 Vietnamese and foreign leading experts and professors took part in the 3rd national conference on lung diseases in Ho Chi Minh City on Nov. 26. During the event, the experts discussed one hundred research works on tuberculosis and lung diseases and advanced technologies in treating the diseases, the Gia Dinh & Xa Hoi newspaper reported Friday. Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Xuyen said the lung disease is listed among ten diseases with the highest infection and death rate. The government of Vietnam has given prioritized investments to upgrade medical equipment and train human resources, Xuyen noted. Vietnam now ranks 13th among 22 countries having the largest number of TB patients worldwide. The country diagnoses around 145,000 new TB patients annually with the fatality rate of 23 per 100,000 residents or 20,000 deaths.
