Epidemiological studies on East Timorese refugees in Australia have shown that 2.9% of them are active carriers of TB, WHO said. That would mean 20,000 East Timorese dispersed through Timor with active TB. "It is absolutely essential that we re-establish TB treatment programmes if we want to avoid a dramatic increase in the number of TB-carriers/infected people," said Dr Diego Buriot, the WHO Director-General's Special Envoy to East Timor. The WHO-recommended DOTS strategy for TB can be adapted for implementation in this situation, ensuring that patients daily receive their drugs, and consequently are cured rather than develop multi-drug resistant TB.

WHO already has field personnel in both East and West Timor. They have been supporting the health authorities in East Timor, offering technical guidance to other UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations in the field, and setting up a communicable disease surveillance system in East Timor.

As of today, however, with the exception of US$ 300,000 received from the Government of Italy, WHO has not received any pledges of funds which would allow it to sustain and expand its public health presence in East Timor to meet the above disease threats – and to provide technical back-up for the full range of health-sector programmes being implemented there.

WHO has appealed for US$11.4 million as apart of the United Nations' Consolidated Appeal launched 27 October in Geneva. The bulk of the WHO appeal (US$7,785,000) is for health sector coordination, surveillance, control of priority diseases and addressing health personnel problems in both East and West Timor.

For further information, journalists can contact Gregory Hartl, Office of Press and Public Relations, WHO, Geneva. Telephone (41 22) 791 44 58. Fax (41 22) 791 48 58. E-Mail: hartlg@who.int