Ending Global TB Requires Commitment Of Leaders, Additional Resources

Washington Post: Tuberculosis is curable. So why are so many people still dying of the disease?
Editorial Board

“…[Millions of people infected with TB] remain undetected and untreated. … The effort has been neglected for too long. On Sept. 26, world leaders at the United Nations will hold the first high-level meeting on combating TB. A draft declaration contains a commitment to find and treat those in the 3.6 million gap, and, more broadly, to provide diagnosis and treatment to 40 million people with tuberculosis over the next four years. The declaration also commits the leaders to overcoming the crisis of multidrug-resistant TB. The words are promising, but progress against TB will require the leaders to take action when they go home, and not to again neglect a disease that can be cured” (9/18).

Dallas News: Tuberculosis is largely unknown in developed nations for one reason: Resources
Michael Shiloh, physician and scientist specializing in TB research and patient care

“…Just as tuberculosis has become a rare disease in most developed countries because of effective and ample resource allocation, the avenue to success in the global fight against tuberculosis must be paved with resources. … [T]he pace of investment in infectious diseases research in general and tuberculosis research in particular has not met global demand. … [Vaccine research and drug development] goals are attainable but only through the joint efforts of researchers, doctors, nurses, and public health officials along with strong and unwavering support of world leaders and governments, including our own. If we are going to banish the silent pandemic of tuberculosis, we must raise public awareness of its pervasiveness and global toll, and rededicate ourselves to our mission. In the modern era, no individual or society should suffer from such an ancient yet curable disease” (9/19).

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