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I'm Gwen Outen with the Health Report in VOA Special English.
Thursday is World Tuberculosis Day. It is recognized on March 24th each year to raise aweariness about the international health right of tuberculosis. Health officials from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention organized the event each year. They say it is a valuable chance to educate the public about TB and how it can be stopped.
TB is caused by a micro-bacterium. The disease spreads easily through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or even talks. But people infected with the disease would not necessarily become sick. The organism can live in the body for years before becoming active.
In the late 1800s, TB killed one out of every seven people living in the United States and Europe. On March 24th 1882, Robert Cutch announced the discovery of the micro-bacterium that causes the tuberculosis. At that time, it was the most important step towards controlling and ending this deadly disease.
100 years later, the World Health Organization and the International Union against tuberculosis and lung disease organized the first world TB day. The event was designed to educate the public about the international health and economic affects of disease especially in developing countries.
Today, tuberculosis infects at least eight million people each year. It also is the second leading causes of death around the world. The disease kills two million to three million people each year. Only acquired immune deficiency syndrome kills more people. 11 million people are infected with both tuberculosis and the virus that causes AIDS.
A combination of medicines is used to treat tuberculosis. But experts say the drug treatment is no longer effective against the disease in many parts of the world. This is because the micro-bacterium has developed defenses against it. Doctors say the resistance resulted from patients failing to follow the directions for taking the medicines.
Researchers recently discovered a new drug that may help the fight against the tuberculosis. The substance is called R207910. Scientists have just begun to test the experimental drug in people. Health officials say, with enough efforts and resources, TB can be cured and controlled.
This VOA Special English Health Report was written by Cynthia Kirk. I'm Gwen Outen. | 
