At a Glance / Aperçu
TB deaths reach historic levels
Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 155: 563
More people died of tuberculosis (TB) in 1995 than in any other year, says a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). The report states that nearly 3 million people died of TB in 1995; before that, the highest toll was at the turn of the century, when an estimated 2.1 million people died annually. The WHO report blames the comeback of the disease on poorly maintained and implemented treatment programs in developing countries and the neglect of the problem by developed countries. In 1993, WHO declared a global TB emergency to draw attention to the lack of treatment programs. "The scientists have done their part to help rid the world of TB," said Dr. Arata Kochi, director of WHO's Global TB Program, "but the politicians have yet to put these tools to use."
WHO recommends a strategy called "DOTS" -- directly observed treatment, short-course -- to treat TB patients. DOTS directs health care providers to watch patients swallow their medication and track each patient's progress, ensuring that contagious people are cured. The DOTS strategy helps reduce the number of patients who forget or refuse to take their medication, which WHO says are key factors in the global spread of TB. WHO estimates that only 10% of the world's TB patients are being treated using the DOTS strategy, which has proved successful in countries such as China, Tanzania and Peru.
| CMAJ September 1, 1996 (vol 155, no 5)
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