Is TB the Next Global Health Crisis?

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Is the World Ready for a Tuberculosis Pandemic? By Anna Gordon Reporter For those living in high income countries like the U.S., it can be easy to forget about tuberculosis. But it's an airborne disease that spreads easily, and with each new infection, the bacteria that causes TB gets a chance to replicate itself—and evolve. Allowing the disease to spread unchecked increases the likelihood that more contagious or drug resistant variants of TB will develop. Last week, the United Nations held its second ever high-level meeting to tackle the issue.  Back in July, I spoke to Dr. David Bishai, the director of the school of public health at the University of Hong Kong. He told me that people in affluent countries need to start taking tuberculosis more seriously. “There’s no biological reason that multi-drug-resistant TB can't acquire what it takes to transmit easily… We know that ancestral TB was extremely contagious through airborne methods. And so this does represent a pandemic threat.” Here are some important TB facts:  TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease. It infects approximately 10 million people and kills 1.5 million each year.  Left untreated, TB kills half of all people who develop it within five years.  As the TB bacteria evolves, it becomes immune to existing therapies, requiring stronger and more toxic drugs to treat it. Today, 3.6% of all new TB cases are resistant to multiple drugs.  READ MORE Share This Story

What Else to Read Does It Matter Which COVID-19 Booster Shot You Get? By Alice Park With a new booster available, it's time to look at whether switching up your shots makes a difference in your immunity. Read More » 4 Ways Exercise Helps Fight Aging By Liz Seegert Physical activity is one of the best things you can do to protect your body as it ages. Here's how it helps. (Originally published in 2021.) Read More » Column: What a Doctor Is Seeing in COVID-19 Today By Michael Daignault COVID-19 and how the body responds to it is changing thanks to vaccines and building immunity. Read More » The Truth About Fasting and Type 2 Diabetes By Markham Heid With expert oversight, the eating plan can be safe for some, but there are risks to keep in mind. Read More » 7 Ways to Get Better at Small Talk—And Why You Should By Angela Haupt No more awkward silences. Read More »

ONE LAST READ Big Dairy is losing the war over "oat milk" Dairy farmers—and their representatives in Congress—have been fighting for years to ban from consumer packaging the term "oat milk," as well as other non-dairy milks like almond and soy. But as Nicholas Florko reports in STAT, it appears to be a losing battle, as regulators say consumers are not confused by the name. Read More »

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