The White House released a plan to fight the spread of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, a growing public health epidemic.
The administration’s plan identifies a series of actions for federal agencies to fight this strain of tuberculosis.
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Overall, tuberculosis kills more than 1.5 million people around the world each year, according to White House statistics. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is much less, with about 100 individuals getting it each year.
Public health agencies are worried, however, that the spread of drug-resistant tuberculosis could reverse gains made by international efforts to reduce TB deaths.
A part of the action plan focuses on ensuring all patients with tuberculosis are detected and treated and that people in close contact with such patients are identified and monitored. This can ensure there isn’t a spread of the disease.
Other goals of the plan include engaging more with global communities affected by the issue and to develop new rapid tests to identify and diagnose tuberculosis patients.
The White House hopes to implement the plan over the next five years.
It comes at a time when public health officials are warning about superbugs that are resistant to most types of antibiotics.
