As I mentioned last year | World TB Day — March 24, 2006 |
Many people in our area remember the TB impacts and prevention of their childhood. Some of the lessons learned then will be useful in preparing for any new pandemic. Unfortunately, younger people do not know that history; others have forgotten it. Remember the caution not to spit? Now that it is still sub-zero temperatures, check out the funny-looking little cones of ice in the AC store parking lot.
see also previous | Study Explores Social Effects of TB in Southwest Alaska |
World TB Day is observed on March 24 each year and commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Worldwide, TB remains one of the leading causes of death from infectious disease. An estimated 2 billion persons (i.e., one third of the world’s population) are infected with M. tuberculosis. Each year, approximately 9 million persons become ill from TB; of these, nearly 2 million die from the disease. World TB Day provides an opportunity for TB programs, nongovernmental organizations, and other partners to describe problems and solutions related to the TB pandemic and to support worldwide TB-control activities. The theme for this year’s observance is “TB Elimination: Now is the Time!”
After approximately 30 years of decline, the number of TB cases reported in the United States increased 20% during 1985–1992. This led to a renewed emphasis on TB control and prevention during the 1990s. However, although the 2006 TB rate is the lowest recorded in the United States since national reporting began in 1953, the average annual decline has slowed since 2000. In addition, multidrug-resistant TB remains a threat, extensively drug-resistant TB has become an emerging threat, and persons of racial/ethnic minority populations and foreign-born persons continue to account for a disproportionate number of TB cases.
CDC and its partners are committed to eliminating TB in the United States. In many states, education and awareness programs convened by local TB coalitions will take place in commemoration of World TB Day. Additional information about World TB Day and CDC TB-elimination activities is available at
More information is available from SciDevNet
Tuberculosis (TB) kills over one million people each year. Control is proving difficult in the face of drug-resistant strains and the increasing threat of coinfection with HIV/AIDS.
SciDev.Net brings you a collection of news, views and information on this curable disease to mark World TB Day tomorrow and highlight some of the issues facing TB control in the developing world:
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Is your figure 1 picture of the states subject to copyright? I would like to use it in a TB program for EMTS
Thank you.
L. D. Scheck
@ Linda Scheck:
That map comes from the CDC so it is available for re-use. It is actually displaying directly from the CDC website (right click and you’ll see its URL) or click the link below the map to go to their report.