Cabinet approved the national programme for tuberculosis prevention and control from 2007 to 2011.

Tuberculosis treatment will be free for all Bulgarian citizens, Health Ministry representative Tonka Vurleva said.

The programme will receive funding of 84 million leva from the national budget and the Global Fund for fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The number of tuberculosis patients (TB) was 2000 in 2006 compared to 3100 in 2005. TB incidence in Bulgaria is 40 people per population of 100 000.

Prisoners, children living in social homes, drug and alcohol-addicted people are most vulnerable.

The programme will reduce the disease spread among prisoners, Roma people and other vulnerable groups.

It also envisions the training of more than 3500 medics for early TB diagnosis and control.