Tuberculosis Threat: Global Response

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world, infecting an average of 9 million people annually. Although TB is curable, close to 2 million TB-related deaths occur each year. Due in part to a growing global response to TB, progress has been made in combating the disease. Globally, new TB infection rates have begun to slowly decline and TB mortality rates have decreased significantly since 1990. At the same time, absolute numbers of people infected with TB, particularly in Asia and Africa, continue to rise. Congress has recognised TB as an important humanitarian issue and increasingly as a potential threat to global security. This book examines the U.S. responses to the global threat of tuberculosis and the international efforts and issues for Congress.