PHA-Exchange> World TB day

[Claudio]

From: <id21HealthNews at lyris.ids.ac.uk>

World Tuberculosis Day, 24 March 2004

Today, one third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis
(TB). Each year, eight million new people develop TB and two million
patients die. However, unlike many other communicable diseases, TB is
curable. Target Eight of the Millennium Development Goals requires the
incidence of TB to have been halted and to have begun to be reversed by
2015.

The World Health Organisation's recommended strategy of diagnosis, effective
treatment, and follow-up care (know as 'DOTS') has been proven to be
effective, even in poor countries. Nevertheless coverage of TB care remains
extremely patchy across many countries. Questions remain about how a global
strategy can be transferred effectively and equitably to local health care
systems, particularly those with limited capacity in isolated rural areas.