We Need To Redouble Our Efforts To End TB

We have made enormous progress in the fight to end tuberculosis (TB). However, the WHO’s 2016 Global Tuberculosis Report shows we still have much work to do to wipe out the world’s top infectious killer.

Last year, roughly 1.4 million people worldwide died of TB. More than 10 million people were diagnosed with the disease. While these rates are on the decline, they are not falling fast enough. To hit the first benchmark set in the WHO’s End TB Strategy, the TB incidence rate must fall 4-5% annually by 2020: last year, the rate of decline was just 1.5%. These statistics are deeply discouraging – especially given that we have the tools to both identify and cure TB.

As a co-chair of the House TB Elimination Caucus, I remain committed to wiping out TB for good. This will require a global commitment and, just as importantly, global resources. Without increased funding, we cannot hope to meet our shared goal of ending this disease. Funding will allow for much-needed R&D, which in turn will lead to better diagnostic tests to identify TB cases, expanded access to treatment, and less toxic drugs to ensure those treatment regimens are fulfilled. In addition, we must not neglect critical issues that affect the fight against TB, like antimicrobial resistance. There is much work ahead, but I am confident that the global community is ready to refocus our efforts to finally make TB a thing of the past.”- Congressman Eliot Engel