On the way to eradication, TB makes a frightening comeback

Once on its way to global eradication, tuberculosis (TB) is staging a frightening comeback in some regions, including Southeast Asia and Africa.

Rising rates of HIV and other infections that weaken the immune system are quickening the spread of TB. And in some cases, the microbe that causes TB has become increasingly resistant to drugs commonly used to treat the disease.

PATH is working with partners and coalitions to bring internationally recommended treatment strategies more effectively to more people. We’re reaching out to help patients, health care providers, and the public with accurate information about TB, and we’re connecting health systems with the resources needed for efficient diagnosis and care. In places where high rates of HIV infection pose an added hurdle to controlling TB, PATH is scaling up efforts to integrate TB and HIV services, ensuring that people can be treated for both infections.

There’s still work to be done before TB can be stamped out completely, but PATH is rising to the challenge of eliminating tuberculosis as a public health crisis.

Photo: PATH/Nguyen Ba Quang.