The world-wide drive against TB is now at a "cross-roads," the World Health Organisation said yesterday.
It warned that funds are drying up for the research to develop new treatments and an effective vaccine.
WHO’s annual report on tuberculosis around the world highlights major successes in the last two decades.
This includes the successful treatment of some 51 million people worldwide.
Last year there were 8.7 million new cases of the disease and about 1.4 million deaths.
WHO warns of the continued threat from multi-drug resistant strains of the bacterium. And it says another 3 billion US dollars a year is needed for treatment and 1.4 billion dollars for research.
But it praises the success of worldwide adoption of the new 100 minute diagnostic test for infection. It is now available in 67 low and middle income countries, it says.
Dr Mario Raviglione, director of the WHO Stop TB Department, said: "The momentum to break this disease is in real danger. We are now at a crossroads between TB elimination within our lifetime, and millions more TB deaths."
Leave a Reply