Tuberculosis is a leading infectious killer, responsible for more than 1.4 million deaths each year. Yet more people than ever are being treated for this disease, and for the first time in history, death by TB is on the decline.
This is an incredible accomplishment, but we are challenged by our own success: incurable, all-drug resistant TB is now spreading due to inadequate treatment, which creates drug resistant strains of the disease.
A $2 billion underfunding of the largest TB treatment provider, the Global Fund, compounds this spread.
Canada is one of the world’s leaders in implementing programs and funding to fight TB. It is in our own interest to take a leadership role and convince the world to eliminate this funding shortfall; there are no borders to infectious disease.
Nathaniel Poole
Victoria