Tuberculosis: An Epidemic Perpetuated by Health Inequalities

R I Med J (2013). 2019 Sep 3;102(7):47-50.

Abstract

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading single-agent infectious disease killer worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO)'s End TB Strategy aims to achieve tuberculosis (TB) elimination by 2030, and in September 2018, the United Nations General Assembly held a High-Level Meeting on TB to address the urgency of the TB epidemic and the health inequalities that continue to propel it. The meeting endorsed an ambitious, comprehensive approach to the TB epidemic that incorporates universal health coverage and tackles the social determinants of this disease. In this article, we provide an overview of the key strategies promoted in this meeting and introduce work by five Rhode Island-based physicians that align with these goals.

Keywords: End TB Strategy; Tuberculosis.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Child
  • Communicable Disease Control / organization & administration*
  • Epidemics / prevention & control*
  • Global Health*
  • Goals
  • Health Services Accessibility / organization & administration*
  • Health Services Research
  • Health Status Disparities
  • Humans
  • Socioeconomic Factors*
  • Tuberculosis / epidemiology
  • Tuberculosis / prevention & control*
  • World Health Organization