Secretary Clinton’s Statement on World Tuberculosis Day

World TB Day is March 24. This annual event commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of M. tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB).

March 24: Secretary Clinton joins others around the world to emphasize the State Department’s commitment to eradicate tuberculosis (TB).  According to USAID, India has more TB cases annually than any other country in the world. In her statement, Secretary Clinton said: “Tuberculosis (TB) kills almost 5000 people each day, and is the leading cause of death for people living with HIV/AIDS. According to the World Health Organization, almost 40% of TB cases are not properly detected and treated… While much has been accomplished in the fight against this disease, there is still much more to be done if we are to meet the Millennium Development Goal of halting and reversing the spread of TB by 2015.” (more)