Work to eradicate perilous TB strain

Asian bird flu has received a large amount of news coverage in recent months. While news of the potential of this disease is frightening, a current global health emergency deserves at least as much attention: extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

Tuberculosis takes the lives of almost 2 million people every year, despite the fact that it can be treated for a mere $16 per person per year. March 24 is World TB Day. Action must be taken to control this deadly disease.

Tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that often affects the lungs, is almost as old as mankind. Egyptian mummies have shown signs of the disease and, unfortunately, it has played a significant role in Utah history. Many pioneers suffered and died young from what was then known as "consumption." Brigham Young was 14 when his mother died from tuberculosis.

Fortunately, TB is no longer a significant public health problem in Utah. In 2005, there were only 29 cases in the entire state, and all of those patients received the treatment they needed. The disease is both preventable and treatable.

Because tuberculosis takes months to treat with multiple medications, treatment programs must be well-planned-out, based on scientific evidence and consistently implemented. Partially treated TB has led to a public health nightmare in developing countries. The bacteria have become resistant to one or more of the medications. This super-resistant strain is passed on to other people before it takes the life of its victim, creating a global public health emergency. South Africa is currently dealing with an outbreak of "extremely drug resistant" TB (XDR-TB). This strain is the direct result of the poor TB control noted above. XDR-TB killed 52 of 53 patients in a reported outbreak — half of them within 16 days. It is spreading in southern Africa and has been detected in at least 28 countries on five continents — including the United States.

Worse, because of the deadly synergy between HIV/AIDS and TB, XDR-TB threatens to roll back progress in the fight against AIDS.

It is easy to feel that these are people in far-away lands with problems too large to solve. In this age of globalization with frequent international travel, however, drug-resistant tuberculosis has the potential to affect all of us. And there are definite steps that we can all take to make a difference.

Support legislation that will control tuberculosis in a long-term, sustained fashion. A "Global Plan to Stop TB" was recently launched (www.stoptb.org/globalplan). Contact Rep. Jim Matheson or Chris Cannon and senators. Urge them to support the U.S. share of support in 2008: $400 million in bilateral aid for TB efforts and $1.4 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.