The dramatic rise in tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in some of the former East Bloc countries caused great concern among Western experts around the turn of the millennium. To combat the emerging threat, the Council of Baltic Sea States launched in 2000 the Task Force on Communicable Disease Control in the Baltic Sea Region (the Task Force). During the period 2001-04, the Task Force implemented more than 100 projects to combat tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and improve primary health care in the north-western parts of Russia and the Baltic states. The project is part of the evaluation efforts underway, focusing on how 'contextual factors' such as differences in political systems and culture have influenced implementation of the Task Force.

Project period: 2002-2005