This is World TB Day today, and the World Health Organizationhas launched an initiative to stop tuberculosis.
The disease is one of the globe’s most deadly deaths with a high incidence of people who live in poverty and more than 90% of TB deaths occurring in those with low or middle incomes.
Here are 5 quick factsyou might not be aware of regarding the condition:
- One third of the world’s population is afflicted with TB.
- Around 10 million people across the globe were diagnosed with TB in the year 2014.
- In the same year , there were 1.5 million deaths due to TB.
- TB is the leading cause of death of those with HIV.
- An estimated 9,421 cases were recorded across the United States in 2014. A 1.5 percent decrease from 2013.
So, what exactly is TB?
Based on the WHO the WHO, tuberculosis can be caused by airborne bacteria which primarily causes lung damage. It is curable and avoidable, however in 2014, it was responsible for the death from 1.5 millions of people.
The disease is sometimes inactive, meaning that someone is suffering from it, but haven’t yet been sick and are not likely to spread it. If a person is infected, they are at risk by 10% of developing TB. People with a weak immunity are in greater risk.
What is the best way to go about taking on it?
Since 2000, more than 43 million people have been saved due to the use of effective diagnostics and treatments.
Eliminating the TB epidemic by 2030 is a health goal in the Sustainable Development Goals, following an inability to reach that Millennium Development Goal of reversing the TB epidemic by the year 2015.
While TB can be found everywhere in all over the world, the greatest amount of new cases in 2014 was within South-East Asia and the Western Pacific Regions. Yet, Africa has the highest percentage of new cases for every 100,000 people.
It was the WHO launched the End TB Strategy in 2014 that is described as the “blueprint that will help countries stop the TB epidemic by reducing TB deaths, incidence , and elimination of massive cost”.
