Photo: © David Rochkind
It was almost 130 years ago, in March 1882, that Robert Koch presented his discovery of the tuberculosis bacillus. It was an important discovery and Mr. Koch hoped tuberculosis would be eradicated in the years to come. The years passed by and more than one hundred years later the World faces a cruel reality: 8.8 million new cases of tuberculosis estimated in 2010, about 3.5 million cases are undiagnosed (therefore continuing to transmit de disease), about 1.5 million deaths of tuberculosis across populations with and without HIV. Tuberculosis remains the main killer of people infected with HIV and drug-resistant strains continue to spread. The only good news on this score is that incidence of tuberculosis has been falling for ten years. But there are no reasons to feel relief: tuberculosis is treatable and there is a lot more to be done.
The 16th Global Report on Tuberculosis published by WHO (see link below) gives a brand picture of the problem worldwide. There are good examples to be analyzed - Uganda, Tanzania, Cambodia and the Americas have seen falls in tuberculosis (TB) mortality - but no achievements are more outstanding than those in China: between 1990-2010, prevalence of tuberculosis infection was reduced by 50 percent and mortality reduced by 78 percent. There are huge efforts behind this outcomes. China has improved the coverage and access of its population to TB treatment and surveillance.
The 16th Global Report on Tuberculosis published by WHO (see link below) gives a brand picture of the problem worldwide. There are good examples to be analyzed - Uganda, Tanzania, Cambodia and the Americas have seen falls in tuberculosis (TB) mortality - but no achievements are more outstanding than those in China: between 1990-2010, prevalence of tuberculosis infection was reduced by 50 percent and mortality reduced by 78 percent. There are huge efforts behind this outcomes. China has improved the coverage and access of its population to TB treatment and surveillance.
Being TB the main killer of HIV patients, it's easy to understand why Africa represents a big challenge in the battle against tuberculosis. About 40 percent of the 2.3 million people diagnosed with tuberculosis in Africa were infected with HIV. We know that, despite all the efforts, fewer than half of the people with TB and HIV are receiving antiretroviral drugs. There were estimated to be about 300 000 cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in 2010, which means that these patients are more difficult to diagnose and treat. Only 16 percent of them are believed to be undergoing treatment.
What is missing to stop TB for once? The usual things: funding, vision and leadership. Several examples of success in TB control have shown us what sustained both political and economic support can achieve. It is urgent that donors, agencies, NGOs and governments work together and settle a plan to stop the spread of the disease. It is time to demand better outcomes and a more effective control of the disease. There is treatment for TB and several drugs are being developed in multidruging-resistant tuberculosis. There is the BCG vaccine, of course. And new candidates are expected to come out: alternatives to BCG are currently in phase 2b trials. There is a rapid diagnostic test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Xpert MTB/RIF - which was endorsed by the WHO in December 2010 for use in TB endemic countries. The rapid test is expected to be a milestone for global TB diagnosis.
No comments:
Post a Comment