World Tuberculosis Day

World Tuberculosis Day was yesterday, March 24. Between two and three million people every year -- five people every minute -- die from tuberculosis.

Roughly 80 percent of all active tuberculosis cases are found in just 22 countries, mostly in southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In the hardest-hit countries, the potential cost of lost productivity due to active tuberculosis may amount to four to seven percent of GDP.

HIV and tuberculosis often go hand-in-hand, each worsening the other. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, erodes the immune system and greatly increases the chances that someone with a latent tuberculosis infection will develop active tuberculosis disease. As the HIV/AIDS pandemic deepens its grip in a growing number of regions, with potentially devastating impacts on families, economies, and regional stability, tuberculosis too will become a greater problem.

This year’s World Tuberculosis Day slogan, "DOTS cured me – it will cure you too!" is a call for hope. DOTS –- directly-observed treatment short-course -- is a proven way to get drugs to tuberculosis patients, often in their own homes with the help of family and community members. DOTS is the most effective way to cure patients, reduce transmission, and prevent the spread of drug resistance.

The United States government, through the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Agency for International Development, is committed to fighting tuberculosis, often in conjunction with bilateral and multilateral partners such as StopTB and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. In 2003, the U.S. government will spend roughly $326 million to fight tuberculosis, including $126 million for research and $82 million for international initiatives. In addition, the U.S. is the largest contributor to the Global Fund, having pledged $1.65 billion through 2008.

On World Tuberculosis Day, we should all remember that the effects of this disease are felt in every country, no matter its size or standard of living. We must all continue to work together to finally defeat this menace.