The tuberculosis epidemic has ended in Ukraine, but the incidence rate is still high enough, Health Minister Raisa Bohatyriova has said.

"It's extremely important that the tuberculosis epidemic has been stopped in Ukraine," she said at a press conference in Kyiv on Friday.

Bohatyriova drew attention to the high tuberculosis incidence rate, which requires very serious work.

"The death rate from this disease in the country is still high, but it has fallen by 30% over the past three years," she said.

"An epidemic is when 1% of the population suffers from an infectious disease. The most difficult year in Ukraine was the year 2005 – when the tuberculosis incidence rate was 100 patients per 100,000 people, that is 1%. Today the figure is 67.5 patients per 100,000 people. The figure is high, but the epidemic, according to the World Health Organization, has currently retreated from Ukraine," the minister said.

Bohatyriova said that UAH 175 million was allocated this year to finance the fight against tuberculosis, particularly for the provision of patients with medicines, and that UAH 22 million was earmarked for the equipping of laboratories.

On March 24, Ukraine marked the national day of the fight against tuberculosis.