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Despite possessing the knowhow to treat tuberculosis and even how much it would cost to eradicate, global efforts to rid itself of one of its primary illnesses lag behind other public health drives
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – It's been a million years old, and it's just one of a kind.
Tuberculosis, a curable and preventable lung infection, killed more than 1.6 million people last year – almost as many as HIV / AIDS and malaria combined – and is the world's deadliest infectious disease.
But despite possessing the knowhow to treat it, it would be much more difficult to eradicate, global efforts to rid itself of one of its primary illnesses lag behind other public health drives.
"TB has been killing millions of people and it's a slow-moving disease," said Ann Ginsberg, senior technical adviser at IAVI, profit that works on tuberculosis.
"You do not see it, even when you get it, you get cough, fever, some night sweats, it's not spectacular."
The World Health Organization says 10 million people developed tuberculosis in 2017 and global infection rates, while declining, remain stubbornly high.
But this year has several breakthroughs, including trials of a new vaccine and a pill that shows astonishing success against drug-resistant forms of the bug, which experts say are cause for optimism.
More than 3000 scientists, activists and disease survivors gathered in the Hague for an annual conference on tuberculosis that was dominated by advances in the battle against tuberculosis.
Several countries, including South Africa and Belarus showed that a new drug, bedaquiline, was consistently successful in patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis – in some cases curing 80%.
Adrian Thomas, vice president of global public health at Johnson & Johnson, who holds the patent on bedaquiline, said the drug could be revolutionized TB is treated.
"It means you do not have the cost of injectables, you do not have the administration, which has a professional care, and you do not have the toxicity, but you get the advantages in terms of mortality, "he told Agence France-Presse.
Previously, those suffering from multidrug-resistant TB would have to undergo an 8-month course of excruciating injections, often with severe side effects, including hearing loss in the middle of patients.
"At the end of that process they would often say that it would be easier than actually taking drugs," said Thomas.
Ahead of a WHO recommendation that more multidrug-resistant patients should receive bedaquiline, this year Johnson & Johnson dropped its price to $ 400 (350 euros) per course of treatment.
For Sharonann Lynch, HIV and TB policy advisor at Doctors Without Borders, that 's still too high. Her organization wants bedaquiline to cost $ 1 a day, half the current price.
"They say they are losing weight, but they are going strong," she said.
"Why in the world would it be more important for people to care for health?" That should be the responsibility of governments.
Thomas said that he is one of the most important people in the world.
Vaccine hope
Despite its deadliness, it has been widely used against TB for nearly 100 years. But this too can be changing.
GlaxoSmithKline last month drugs unveiled a study of a new vaccine that was effective in 54 percent of trial participants.
It comes with caveats – the trial was only started in the early 1990s, but Ginsberg described it as a "turning point".
Marie-Ange Demoitie, who leads the vaccine development for GSK, said the eventual aim would be to give to everyone at a certain age where TB is prevalent.
"There are several candidate vaccines at the time but this is the first time we see a positive signal in a population of adult subjects," she told Agence France-Presse. "It's really a breakthrough and is bringing a lot of hope to the TB field vaccine."
'TB is not sexy'
Last month One of the world's largest states of tuberculosis and pledged billions of dollars towards tackling the disease. They like to eradicate it within 15 years.
The WHO estimates TB costs the global economy more than $ 20 billion annually, nearly half of that going to treating patients.
Ginsberg questioned why was the first place.
"Developing a vaccine costs roughly $ 1 trillion over 20 years." So the investment is needed on an annual basis, "she said.
For Kitty van Weezenbeek, executive director of the Hague-based KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation, TB has been wrongly overlooked in favor of higher profile diseases.
"TB's on nobody's mind There's nothing sexy about it," she said.
"Ten times the research funding is going to HIV.I'm not saying it should not be there, it should also come to TB." – Rappler.com
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