WORLD TB DAY STATEMENT

March 22, 2017 • By Rebecca Martin, Director, Center for Global Health, CDC

As we approach World Tuberculosis (TB) Day on March 24th, Dr. Rebecca Martin, Director of CDC’s Center for Global Health, has provided a statement that reflects on the global burden of TB and what is needed to eradicate this deadly disease. Read more about how CDC is fighting global TB to help ensure a safer America and a safer world.

”In the past 15 years, the number of deaths from tuberculosis has fallen 47 percent, a global health achievement that translates to 43 million lives saved worldwide. Our progress, however, is met with the sobering fact that TB, a curable disease, remains the leading infectious disease killer in the world, claiming 2 million lives each year.

As forms of TB become resistant to our best drugs and spread across borders, we are facing a future where TB is no longer curable. If we do not go beyond current efforts to contain drug-resistant TB, by 2050 there will be an additional 75 million deaths from drug-resistant TB at a cost to the global economy of $17 trillion. While the challenges are great, we know that addressing TB is one of the world’s best buys to improve economic development, security, and stability, providing a huge $43 return on investment for every dollar spent.

To counter the growing threat that TB poses to the world, we must work through partnerships in the public and private sector to not only scale-up our proven interventions, but to also invest in game-changers in diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. At CDC, we are working in more than 25 countries to implement and improve our existing tools and develop new strategies to find, cure, and prevent TB.

We’re moving on a range of innovations to find the millions around the world who become sick with TB each year but are missed by current screening and testing efforts. We’re evaluating better treatment regimens to cure and stop the spread of drug-resistant TB.

“Since TB is the leading cause of death for people with HIV globally, CDC is working hand-in-hand with government partners, community groups, and health organizations to align TB and HIV programs. These efforts include scaling up access to anti-retroviral treatment and increasing access to TB preventive therapy by including it as part of standard services already being provided to people living with HIV.”

Across the agency, we’re also working to strengthen systems to detect and respond to infectious disease threats and contain them before they spread. CDC remains committed to finding evidence-based solutions to protect the health and safety of Americans and to save lives worldwide.”

Please find additional resources (e.g., fact sheets, infographics, and social media cards) that highlight the ways CDC is working to find, cure and prevent TB worldwide.

Follow Dr. Rebecca Martin on Twitter @DrMartinCDC