| Wilhelm Röntgen discovered the X-ray machine in | | | | sending 200 million to grave. The MDR or multi-drug |
| 1895 after German doctor Robert Koch identified | | | | resistant and XDR or extensively drug-resistant |
| bacilli as the cause of TB in 1882. The said machine | | | | tuberculosis killed 150,000 in 2008. Sadly, even the |
| makes possible men in lab coats and medical scrubs | | | | developed lands were unable to totally rule out this |
| to scan the lungs of the living persons for signs of | | | | deadly disease. In a region of the developed Russian |
| tubercular lesions. In 1921, BCG or Bacillus | | | | country, more than half of the cases are |
| Calmette-Guérin, the potent vaccine against TB, | | | | drug-resistant. There are places that were effective |
| was discovered by French scientists. Within a short | | | | in fighting off tuberculosis like Peru, Hong Kong and |
| span of just 6 months of treatment, an infected | | | | New York City. |
| person can be totally free from tuberculosis. But the | | | | Governments and health organizations remain |
| malady seemed all too smart to easily be knocked | | | | optimistic in winning over tuberculosis, and this year's |
| off. | | | | celebration of the World TB Day is aimed to raise |
| Tuberculosis became even more dreadful in the mid | | | | awareness regarding this global epidemic so as |
| 1980s, and the progress prompted the World Health | | | | everyone would have part in purging the disease. |
| Organization to declare the disease a global | | | | WHO continues to promote DOTS, which stands for |
| emergency. And in 1995, TB claimed more lives. At | | | | Directly Observed Treatment Short-Course. |
| present, one-third of the world population is suffering | | | | Aside from the disease itself, there's also a need to |
| from tuberculosis, and every second someone is | | | | combat the different aspects that lead to failure of |
| newly infected. In 2009, in United States alone, | | | | stopping tuberculosis namely deteriorated TB-control |
| 11,540 cases were reported. There was a | | | | programs, incapacity to buy medication, |
| considerably big drop of in this number. From 4.2% in | | | | malnourishment, and crowded living conditions. The |
| every 100,000, there's been a drop of down to 3.8%. | | | | HIV AIDS epidemic has also helped fuel the spread of |
| However, thousands still die from this disease despite | | | | TB. And of course, there has to be an effective way |
| the discovery of effective treatment many years | | | | to counter the drug-resistant TB strains as they are |
| ago. | | | | far more contagious than the common strains. |
| Over the past hundred years, TB was successful in | | | | |