Science Speaks Follows the Results of Global Health Commitments, Shortfalls

A little more than a year after the first United Nations high level meeting on TB set measurable milestones toward eliminating the global impacts of the world’s deadliest infectious disease, the World Health Organization’s annual report on tuberculosis incidence, deaths and surveillance showed progress has been promising but uneven. The IDSA/HIVMA global infectious diseases Science Speaks blog reported on the release of the data. Global TB leaders’ conclusions that failures to detect and prevent tuberculosis among populations most vulnerable to the illness continue to put elimination goals out of reach and stem in part from still inadequate international funding.

Science Speaks also reported a WHO-convened emergency committee’s finding that the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to pose a public health emergency, while regulatory approval of currently used vaccine offers hope for containing future outbreaks.