CAMEROON, Cameroon — Governments from around the world will gather Wednesday to discuss the persistent scourge of tuberculosis, which last year claimed more lives than any other communicable disease. A further 300,000 people with both HIV and TB died in last year, according to World Health Organization figures released this month. Once referred to as ‘consumption’ because of the way sufferers appear to waste away, tuberculosis has been known for centuries. Experts are particularly concerned about the rising number of people contracting drug-resistant variants of TB, many of which aren’t diagnosed properly. Campaigners applauded a recent decision by the World Health Organization to recommend a change in the way drug-resistant tuberculosis is treated, prioritizing oral drugs over injectable medication.

Source: National Post September 26, 2018 00:54 UTC