PARIS -- France, The world can become Tuberculosis-free by 2045 according to the experts. However, stronger support for continuous research and a steady flow of funding is needed to make this project a success. A team made of international experts from all over the world are looking at saying goodbye to Tuberculosis for good.
The experts have released a warning on the immense social and economic costs that come with the inaction of the governments. They said that better screening for Tuberculosis, proper treatment, and public-wide awareness should all come together to make this dream a reality. About 10 million cases of patients diagnosed with Tuberculosis are recorded each year and the number could grow even more if the government does not fund such studies.
Known as one of the rather chronic lung diseases is highly preventable and is largely treatable too. If caught on time, a lot of lives could be saved. However, if patients remain unaware of the infection that they have, Tuberculosis could be the top infectious disease that could cause the deaths of over 1.6 million people each year.
"The continuous rise in the number of infected patients are both a huge burden for underdeveloped and even developed countries," said the United Nations special envoy, Eric Grosby
"It does not take a hotshot scientist to determine the cause of the growth in the number of infected individuals. It is really just common sense. Countries must have a strategy to prevent it from infecting more people."
Tuberculosis has existed for about a millennia and it has killed as many as a quarter of the whole population of the world. In fact, it has killed as more people as that of Malaria and HIV/AIDS combined. Sadly, there hasn't been a new vaccine developed to help prevent tuberculosis in the last century.
This deadly disease only receives around 10 percent of funding for research. This amount is only 1/10 of the total funding for studies about AIDS/HIV. What remains to be inevitable is that people will still die of Tuberculosis until something can be done to address it. The world needs new drugs to help prevent even more people from suffering. As a response to the call, governments from all over the world must invest in programs to help the world understand how Tuberculosis can be prevented and dealt with.
How much will it cost to study for a vaccine to prevent Tuberculosis? It may take much now, but it surely will save even more lives in the future.
