World TB Day 2009

March 24^th is World Tuberculosis (TB) Day. On this day in 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. World TB Day provides an occasion to raise awareness about progress and challenges in the global fight against TB. The theme for World TB Day 2009 is “I am stopping TB”.

It is estimated that one in every three people is infected with the TB bacteria and in 2007, more than 9 million new cases were reported worldwide. Effective cures have been available for decades, yet TB remains a leading infectious disease, killing up to 1.6 million people each year.

Since 2003, the annual incidence rate of TB in Canada has remained essentially stable with approximately 1,600 new and re-treatment cases reported annually. Certain population groups in Canada are disproportionately affected by TB. These include foreign-born individuals from countries with a high incidence of TB, Aboriginal peoples, HIV infected individuals and those who have spent time in a correctional facility.

The international emergence of drug resistant strains of TB seriously threatens global prevention and control efforts. Although multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant TB have not yet been identified as major problems in Canada, with the speed and ease of international travel it is increasingly apparent that TB anywhere is TB everywhere. To this end, the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to monitor and respond to these emerging threats.

The World Health Organization’s Stop TB Partnership has set a goal to reduce the burden of TB disease by 50 per cent by 2015 compared to the 1990 rate. The Government of Canada is committed to this goal and in collaboration with federal, provincial and territorial governments and health professional organizations are working to reduce the incidence rate of TB in Canada from 4.7 per 100,000 in 2007 to 3.6 per 100,000 by 2015. This will require a three per cent annual reduction in the incidence rate.