World TB Day Brings Awareness to Global Health Threat

Mar 26, 2013 2:00 PM ET

LillyPad

By David Marbaugh

In recognition of World TB Day on March 24, Financial Times produced a special report on Combating TB, "a disease that kills nearly 1.5 million people a year and infects nine million, including 600,000 with drug-resistant strains that are particularly difficult to fight." (Note: FT requires sign in to view articles)

The report included an article by Andrew Jack where he talks about how TB is the most "neglected" of the three diseases supported by the Global Fund to Fight Aids, TB and Malaria, the world’s biggest multilateral funder of health programs, "yet it spreads far more easily around the world than either HIV or malaria, with drug-resistant strains rising fast."

Dr. Evan Lee, head of The Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, was quoted in the article on improving healthcare provider training – one of the key areas of focus of our TB partnership. "The doctor is the general on the hill but nurses are much closer to the frontline where the action is and could play a much more important role, in counseling, patient support and early identification of side effects,” he noted.

Read more about John Lechleiter's urgent call to action to fight TB