| Overview : Tuberculosis (TB) is second only to HIV/AIDS as the greatest killer worldwide due to a single infectious agent. WHO reports that 9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.5 million died from tuberculosis disease in 2013. The majority or 95% of deaths due to TB occur in low- and middle-income countries, and is ranked among the top 5 causes of death for women aged 15 to 44. WHO estimates that annual TB incidence in Belize is 40 per 100,000, with a range of(33-48).In a population of about 358,899 for 2014 this would amount to about 140 new cases in a year. Epidemiological drivers of TB incidence and mortality in Belize include poverty and high HIV prevalence (break down of old latent infections), and incomplete treatment of TB cases (ongoing transmission from active disease). The burden of TB mortality appears to be substantial and is also affected by a low treatment outcome. This epidemic is now further compromised by the appearance of drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in Belize. With the support from Global Fund we seek to improve the care and management of TB disease and TB all forms in Belize, and in line with the National TB Strategic Plan we initiate such activity with the updating and revision of our National TB manual that will be used to build capacity in Tuberculosis management and care. During 2014-15, PAHO-Belize has supported the Ministry of Health in the development of a national situational analysis on TB in Belize, a budget exercise for the NTP and the development of a national strategic plan. The revision and updating of our national guidelines is in tandem with the goal of improving the treatment and care of TB and its forms in Belize. It is therefore necessary to train a cadre of health care workers skilled in the management and care of tuberculosis at all levels, and it is with this in mind that we seek to update our manual and develop a training tool kit for the National TB program to train HCW locally in TB disease and all its forms. | 
