Newswise — March 24, 2011, marks World TB Day. On this day around the world, the public health and scientific community will raise public awareness about tuberculosis and the challenges that remain in controlling it globally, such as preventing the spread of drug resistant TB and as the urgent need to develop new TB diagnostic, treatment and prevention tools.
Originally founded as the American Sanatorium Association, the ATS is a leader in domestic and global TB control. The ATS holds key memberships in the lead advocacy organizations on TB, including Stop TB USA and the global Stop TB Partnership.
“Today, as federal funding for public health and research are threatened by budget reductions, it is important to remember that twenty years ago, the United States was confronted with a deadly resurgence of drug-resistant tuberculosis that cost many lives and the city of New York alone over $1 billion to control,” said ATS President Dean Schraufnagel, MD.
“This resurgence occurred because we significantly cut back our nation’s TB control infrastructure. That is a mistake we cannot afford to make again. And because TB is an airborne infectious disease that knows no borders, it is essential that the United States continues to play a strong leadership role in global TB control efforts.”
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