Tuberculosis is a global public health issue. The Role of the International Agencies Introduction TB which stands for Tuberculosis is a rather infectious disease with Mtb (Mycobacterium tuberculosis). TB is a growing contagious disease which kills the majority of the population, TB normally affects the lungs however it also affects other organs in the body, when TB occurs it is treated within a time regime but depending on which organ. (NIAID 2009) Essentially it has been said that TB is a curable and preventable disease, and there are many organisations which aim to reduce, prevent, and promote TB. The WHO implies that TB is an ancient disease, which also concludes to 3or connects to disability and death all over the globe. In 2006, 9.2million people had suffered of TB and 1.7million people died because of TB. NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) is analysing TB in order to diagnose better equipments and faster reacting vaccine and shorter time decrease the levels of TB in the globe. (NIAID 2009) Furthermore the NIAID international agency aims to reduce TB, and prevent it from spreading all of the globe. WHO is also another organisation which aims to prevent and promote TB, WHO(2008) stated that 1.5 million people died of TB in in addition to that 200,000 people died of HIV associated with TB. WHO(2009) Student number: GROUP 4:Tuberculosis is a global public health issue Methods These agencies aim to explore and research the levels of TB, so that it can be sustained. I have chosen to agencies which are international NIAID and WHO. NIAIDS is funding biomedical treatment for TB and WHO aim to prevent and underpin the outline of TB. WHO WHO is an agency that works within the UN (United Nation) its responsibility is to recognise the health issue, research growing health topics, finding the background standards of the health issue all over the globe, create policies with the government, providing convenient support to countries, observing and measuring health developments. There are many strategies that this organisation has formed, for example The Stop TB strategy and Global Plan to Stop TB. Furthermore the incidence rate of TB is rather high in Africa and WHO has taken into consideration of this fact and aims to decrease the death rates of TB because almost half a million people are dieing of TB in Africa alone. Stoptb (2009) WHO regional committee aims to tackle this emergency of increasing TB by; Improving quality of staff whom are implicated in TB managing Improve TB case recognition and treatment Expand the intervention of managing TB and HIV. Involve community and private collaboration to in TB control activities. For example TB awareness day. NIAIDS This is another agency which recognises that TB is increases and supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose and treat infectious diseases globally. NIAIDS works with different organisations whom are National Institution of Health. They work together aiming to build a new TB drug for clinical testing. Each year, between two million and three million people die from tuberculosis. NIAID-supported international tuberculosis activities are designed to support disease prevention and control strategies, enhance local research capacities and stimulate international partnerships NIAID (2009) Figure 4: Estimated TB incidence rates,2005 Exhibit Africa TB emergency 2005 Discussion Both of these agencies have different ways of tackling TB globally, however WHO is rather flexible and more into promoting and awareness, were as the NIAIDS is more into labs and solving the treatment side. WHO is a global organisation which aims to reduce TB death rates, also they work with different partnerships in order to create campaigns and be sponsored by them. Furthermore WHO is linked to other organisations which promote TB and this then provides them the ability to travel and prevent TB globally and promote TB for that percentage that are not aware of it. NIAIDS is a rather complex organisation which is more focused lab, however they are also researching the effectiveness of the medication. Discussion Both of these agencies have different ways of tackling TB globally, however WHO is rather flexible and more into promoting and awareness, were as the NIAIDS is more into labs and solving the treatment side. WHO is a global organisation which aims to reduce TB death rates, also they work with different partnerships in order to create campaigns and be sponsored by them. Furthermore WHO is linked to other organisations which promote TB and this then provides them the ability to travel and prevent TB globally and promote TB for that percentage that are not aware of it. NIAIDS is a rather complex organisation which is more focused lab, however they are also researching the effectiveness of the medication.