TB Killed 1,7 Million Globally In 2006, WHO Says
The rate of tuberculosis incidence fell slightly worldwide for a second straight year in 2006, but there were still 9,2 million new cases and the disease killed 1,7 million people, the UN health agency said on Monday,
The rate decline of 0,6 percent in 2006 compared to 2005 was so modest that the increase in the worlds population meant there were actually more TB cases globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its annual report on tuberculosis.
And WHO officials cited worrisome trends suggesting that recent progress was stalling, while saying more money is needed to fight TB, which trails only AIDS as the worlds leading killer among infectious diseases.
The African, Southeast Asian and Western Pacific regions accounted for 83 percent of total cases reported. India, China, Indonesia, South Africa and Nigeria rank as the top five countries in terms of absolute numbers of tuberculosis cases. The African region has the highest incidence rate per capita, 363 per 100.000.
The new statistics are worrisome because “the more cases that are detected early interrupt transmission and provide a better chance of cure, and that ultimately has a greater impact on the incidence of the disease”, Dr. Mario C. Raviglione, the agencys Director of tuberculosis control, said
The WHO stated there was a shortfall of 2,5 billion US dollar of the 4,8 billion needed this year for overall tuberculosis control in low- and middle-income countries.
WHO admitted its treatment programs “have not yet had a major impact on TB transmission and incidence around the world”, says the report, which assessed the WHO’s efforts for the past 12 years in which the agency has been issuing yearly reports.
WHO primarily works by recommending how governments and donors can best fight TB, and it is up to individual countries how they spend their funds.
The report says 30 million people – or 84,7 percent of identified TB patients – have been cured through treatment. That was near the WHOs 85 percent target.
Kilde>: www.worldbank.org
