5
facts about tuberculosis – a disease that still kills millions
The
infectious disease is one of the world's top
killers, disproportionately affecting people in poorer countries,
with more than 95% of TB deaths occuring in countries with low and middle
incomes.
Here
are 5 fast facts
you may not know about the disease:
1.
One-third of the world’s population is infected with TB.
2.
Almost 10 million people around the world became sick with TB in
2014.
3. In
the same year there were 1.5 million TB-related deaths.
4. TB
is a leading killer of people who have HIV.
5. A
total of 9,421 TB cases were reported in the United States in 2014. A 1.5%
decline from 2013.
So,
what is TB?
According
to the WHO, tuberculosis is
caused by airborne bacteria that most often affects the lungs. It is both
curable and preventable, but in 2014 it caused the deaths of 1.5 million
people.
The
disease can be latent, meaning people are infected with it but have not yet
fallen ill and aren't likely to transmit it. Once infected, people have a 10%
risk of falling ill with TB. Those with a compromised immune system are at a
higher risk.
How
is the world tackling it?
Since
2000 more than 43 million lives have been saved through effective diagnosis and
treatment.
Ending
the TB epidemic by 2030 is a health target under the Sustainable Development
Goals, following a global failure to achieve the Millennium Development Goal of
reversing the TB epidemic by 2015.
Although
TB occurs across the world, the largest number of new cases in 2014 occurred in
South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Regions. However, Africa has the highest
proportion of cases per 100,000 population.
The
WHO
implemented an End TB Strategy in 2014, which is described as a “blueprint for
countries to end the TB epidemic by driving down TB deaths, incidence and
eliminating catastrophic costs”.
