March 24th was World TB Day, and world health groups urged lawmakers and medical experts to take seriously the threat abroad and at home in the US, where nearly 10,000 new cases of TB were reported in 2016.
“TB anywhere is a threat to people everywhere,” wrote Allison Berkowitz in an Op-Ed published by The Baltimore Sun.
She added:
Tuberculosis is a leading global infectious killer, right behind HIV and AIDS. Spread mainly by a cough, the airborne disease knows no limits and disproportionately affects people in poorer areas.
While TB is curable, its treatment is lengthy, and the disease pushes people even further into poverty. Like so many other issues ailing us, the best way to treat it is to prevent it.
