Every year on March 24th, the world commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced the discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB). World TB Day provides an opportunity to look at the progress being made in the control and treatment of tuberculosis, as well as reflect on the challenges that lie ahead.

The U.S. theme for World TB Day 2009 is “Partnerships for TB Elimination,” which emphasizes that a variety of efforts are needed to address TB. The global theme, as described by the Stop TB Partnership, is “I am stopping TB.” This means that individuals (as patients), as well as health workers, educators, scientists and communities can all do their part to Stop TB. Collaboration among all of these partners is much needed: globally, 9.2 million new cases and 1.7 million TB deaths occurred in 2006. The incidence of TB cases has increased between two- and six-fold since 1990, and Africa accounts for 85% of the world’s total number of people living with HIV and TB (those with weakened immune systems, such as HIV-positive patients, are more susceptible to the disease).

However, there is progress being made. Globally, the rate of case detection (a necessary first step to ensure proper treatment) reached 61% in 2006 and the treatment success rate improved to 84.7% in 2005. With support from donors like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, the Philippines, one of 22 countries with the highest burden of TB, saw a 44% reduction in tuberculosis deaths. In Africa, TB detection rates increased from 23% to 46% between 1995 and 2006. Also, more people are receiving Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) – where patients are supervised while medication is administered. DOTS coverage in high-burden countries in Africa has increased from 43% in 1995 to 91% in 2006.

To effectively reverse the spread of tuberculosis, detection and treatment services must be made available to everyone in need, especially those who are most vulnerable. New and better tools are also needed: just next month a new tuberculosis vaccine will begin testing in South Africa. More financial resources are needed to back these efforts: the Global Plan to Stop TB estimates that an additional $1 billion is needed to effectively control TB across the globe.

-Rena Pacheco-Theard