U.S. Response to the Global Threat of Tuberculosis: Basic Facts, February 22, 2011.

摘要

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most widespread infectious diseases in the world, infecting an average of 9 million people annually. Although TB is curable, close to 2 million TB-related deaths occur each year. Due in part to a growing global response to TB, progress has been made in combating the disease. Globally, new TB infection rates have begun to slowly decline and TB mortality rates have decreased significantly since 1990. At the same time, absolute numbers of people infected with TB, particularly in Asia and Africa, continue to rise. Congress has recognized TB as an important humanitarian issue and increasingly as a potential threat to global security. The 112th Congress will likely debate the appropriate funding levels and optimum strategy for addressing the continued challenge of global TB. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the lead U.S. agency in global TB control and oversees bilateral programs in over 40 countries. The United States works closely with a range of multilateral partners in responding to global TB, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), the largest external donor for TB. National governments play a critical role in responding to TB, and domestic government expenditures account for the majority of global TB funding.