Introduction to TB: A Terrible Toll
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TB is a worldwide problem
Credit: Clifton E. Barry, III, Ph.D. |
Tuberculosis (TB) is an old disease but one that still ranks among the foremost killers of the 21st century. Every second of every day, someone is newly infected with the bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb ), that causes TB. About one-third of the world’s population is infected with M. tb , and as many as two million people die of the disease each year. TB kills more people than any other disease caused by a single infectious agent. Among people with HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis is the leading cause of death. The highest rates of TB are in some of the world’s poorest countries, and the economic toll taken by the disease is enormous. Left unchecked, infectious disease can sow the seeds of political upheaval and threatens to reverse progress made by developing countries in recent decades. As for the toll in lives shortened, children orphaned, and communities weakened, the cost is inestimable.
Unprecedented Opportunities
Among the components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) is the primary locus of TB research. NIAID has been committed to fighting infectious disease and improving global health throughout its history. From state-of-the art laboratories in the United States to busy clinics in South Africa, scientists supported by NIAID are learning new things about the TB bacterium and developing better ways to fight the diseases.
“Better control and eventual elimination of TB worldwide will require a marriage of modern science, time-tested public health measures, and the strong commitment of the international community," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. “History will judge us harshly if we do not capitalize on unprecedented opportunities and act boldly to rid the world of this ancient killer.”
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