Indicator: Tuberculosis Incidence per 100,000 Population
Target: Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
The World Health Organization has declared Tuberculosis (TB), an air borne disease which preys upon weakened immune systems, to be a global health emergency. Every year 8-10 million people develop TB and two million will die from the disease. TB is curable; however, the treatment is an intensive application of antibiotics administered to the patient for at least six months. If there is any break in the treatment, there is a strong likelihood that the patient will develop a resistance to the antibiotic. The spread of drug-resistant TB is a very dangerous threat to global health. To control TB, countries have to have a functional health care system with technically trained staff and available drugs. All of which takes an incredible amount of resources and political will. The UN has identified five components that are critical to controlling TB. "The most important way to control TB is to find all cases of active TB disease and make sure that these are treated properly. Five basic elements are needed:
- Political commitment to increased and sustained TB control
- Access to high quality laboratory testing for TB
- Easy access to standard TB treatment, with support to patients to stay on their treatment
- An uninterrupted supply of drugs
- Standardized recording and reporting systems that allow monitoring of treatment of all patients.
Source: World Health Organization: The Stop TB Strategy.
The map displays poverty data for a broad selection of countries. Where data is unavailable, no information is displayed.
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