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World TB Day --- March 24, 2009
World TB Day is observed each year on March 24 to commemorate the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced
the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB). Worldwide, TB remains one of
the leading causes of death from infectious disease. An estimated 2 billion persons are infected with
M. tuberculosis (1). In 2006, approximately 9.2 million persons became ill from TB, and 1.7 million died from the disease
(1). World TB Day provides an opportunity for TB programs, nongovernmental organizations, and other partners to describe problems and solutions
related to the TB pandemic and to support worldwide TB control efforts. The U.S. theme for this year's observance is Partnerships
for TB Elimination.
After approximately 30 years of decline (from 84,304 in 1953 to
22,201 in 1985), the number of TB cases reported in
the United States increased 20% (to 26,673) during 1985--1992
(2). This led to a renewed emphasis on TB control
and prevention during the 1990s. However, the average annual decline has slowed since 2000. In addition, multidrug-resistant
TB remains a threat, extensively drug-resistant TB has become an emerging threat, and persons of racial/ethnic
minority populations and foreign-born persons continue to account for a greater percentage of TB cases. Additional information
about World TB Day and CDC TB-elimination activities is available at
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/worldtbday.
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