In the coming days, over 40 African leaders will gather and meet in Washington, DC for the US- Africa Leaders Summit. One of the aims of this conference is to conduct discussions that will address the most pressing issues that are troubling the region including talks on how to reinforce the current response to the widespread difficulties involving infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDS, Ebola, malaria, and tuberculosis, all of which are escalating to levels that could potentially endanger human lives and national securities.
Apart from the now epidemic Ebola outbreak, it is anticipated that much attention will also be given to tuberculosis for TB. This disease is both preventable and curable but, astonishingly, there are over 5000 people worldwide who lose their lives daily to this illness. It is estimated that about 9 million people acquire tuberculosis annually, yet nearly a third of that number is apparently missed by the health systems of countries across the globe. This trend has health experts alarmed and has driven them to push for the development of more effective, evidence-based practices that will help to scaled-back the threat of tuberculosis globally.
In an effort to reduce the incidence is a jigger closes worldwide, the DOTS system was launched as a multifaceted strategy to control the disease. DOTS, or Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course, make efficient use of community workers that deliver TB therapy under close supervision yielding a success rate of over 80% and has been ranked by the World Bank as one of the most cost-effective health interventions at present. The Stop TB Partnership, an international co-operation of government and nongovernment organizations, has also launched the "Reach the 3 Million" project that aims to reach out to the 3 million people affected by the disease dinner being missed by their respective health systems on a yearly basis.
All of those concerned agree unanimously that there is still much left to be done before a TB-free world can be achieved. Health experts say that all the efforts going into the fight to eliminate tuberculosis will only be successful when all sectors of societies, both national and international, pool their resources together and collaborate on implementing
