World still winning against TB – WHO

The problem of drug-resistant TB has not stopped the world making dramatic progress against the disease, it was announced yesterday.

Within two years, death rates from the diseases will be half those 25 years ago, the World Health Organisation said.

But WHO warned a "quantum leap" is still needed to find "missing" patients and tackle drug-resistant disease.

The latest figures show that 8.6 million people contracted the disease last year and 1.3 million died from it.

Among these some 450,000 people contracted multi-drug resistant disease – which affects tens of thousands of people in China, India and Russia.

WHO believes that some three million people continue to suffer the disease without being diagnosed.

Its annual report on the topic calls for some two billion US dollars in extra resources.

WHO TB programme director Dr Mario Raviglione said: "Quality TB care for millions worldwide has driven down TB deaths.

“But far too many people are still missing out on such care and are suffering as a result. They are not diagnosed, or not treated, or information on the quality of care they receive is unknown.”

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