WHO Calls Tuberculosis a Global Emergency
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LONDON — The World Health Organization on Friday declared tuberculosis a global emergency, saying the disease will claim more than 30 million lives in the next decade unless action is taken now.
“Tuberculosis today is humanity’s greatest killer, and it is out of control in many parts of the world,” said Arati Kochi, manager of WHO’s tuberculosis program, at a news conference announcing a plan to combat what has been dubbed the “forgotten epidemic.”
“The disease, preventable and treatable, has been grossly neglected and no country is immune to it.”
Once believed to be under control, TB, as tuberculosis is often called, is spreading worldwide because of the emergence of drug-resistant strains, changing research priorities and a link between TB and AIDS.
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