“TB in Europe has two faces: a declining epidemic in the western part and an increasing and more and more complicated epidemic towards the eastern part. Multi-drug resistant TB that is difficult and expensive to treat, and often results in the death of the patient and the fast increasing HIV epidemic resulting in a combined TB/HIV epidemic leading to increased cases of tuberculosis are among the most serious health problems in the east. Migration and travel to and fro however makes it a pan-European problem that only can be solved by the combined and coordinated efforts of all European countries. World TB day is a good opportunity to inform the public and their policy makers about this.” Said Dr Jaap Veen, Head of the European Unit of KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, a century old Royal TB Association in the Netherlands.

 “TB remains a threat to the health and well-being of people around the world. Among infectious diseases, TB remains the second leading killer of adults in the world, with more than 2 million TB-related deaths each year. Until TB is controlled, World TB Day won’t be a celebration. But it is a valuable opportunity to educate the public about the devastation TB can spread and how it can be stopped” said Dr. Kenneth G. Castro
Director of CDC's Division of Tuberculosis Elimination.

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