TB and global health

TB and global health

In addition to your article on Bill Gates, the most generous
philanthropist in history in The Jakarta Post on Feb. 15, I would
like to share the following information provided by Reuters on
Feb. 13, 2004:

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has donated US$82.9
million to support research to prevent tuberculosis (TB). Bill
Gates was obviously moved by the devastating health and economic
consequences of TB, its effect on developing countries, and its
continued tragic impact on global health.

"The grant will more than double the amount of money spent
annually on TB vaccine research", Dr. Richard Klausner, executive
director of the foundation's Global Health program, said at the
at the opening session of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science annual meeting held in Seattle.

Among infectious diseases, TB remains the second leading
killer of adults in the world, with more than two million TB-
related deaths each year. More than two billion people are
infected with the TB pathogen. Although the TB problem can be
solved by implementing the Directly Observed Treatment,
Short-course (or DOTS) strategy, most treatment drugs are
unavailable to poorer countries, and scientists have argued that
a vaccine for the airborne bacterial disease could sharply reduce
global infection rates.

DR MUHERMAN HARUN

Jakarta