Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most deadly infectious diseases in the world. Each year, it kills 1.6 million people, with another 9 million suffering from the disease, mainly in developing countries. TB is the major killer of people living with HIV in Africa. Almost half a million people develop multi drug-resistant strains of the disease every year.
TB is highly infectious and spreads mainly through the air. Coughing, sneezing, talking and spitting by an infected person can all spread the bacteria and it can remain in the air for several hours before being inhaled by another person. TB is particularly common amongst young children, who have immature immune systems, and people with lowered immune systems, such as those infected with HIV.
Tools available to diagnose TB are outdated, expensive and inadequate, mainly due to lack of funding for research and development. Treatment is long and complex and if interrupted can lead to the development of drug-resistant TB, a more difficult infection to treat. Where TB is resistant to most of the routine TB drugs, second-line drugs are needed. These are very expensive, have many side effects, require a long course of treatment and often have poor outcomes. Most patients in developing countries do not have access to these drugs.
MSF has been fighting TB for over 30 years. In 2006, MSF offered treatment in 100 projects spread over 44 countries. Our teams admitted more than 24,000 new patients, and diagnosed and referred even more to local health services for treatment. MSF provides treatment for TB in many different contexts, from chronic conflict situations as in southern Sudan to vulnerable patients in stable settings, such as Uzbekistan and Chechnya. In many places where we work, supervising all TB patients during their treatment is difficult or impossible. So to help patients complete their treatment, MSF has introduced more flexible strategies.