One in three human beings is a carrier
A third of the Earth’s population is believed to be carrying the TB bacillus. Ten percent of these have become ill, for various reasons, including poverty, poor living conditions, the spread of HIV and AIDS, suppressed or deficient immune systems and some, particularly in Eastern Europe, are suffering from the resistant strain. WHO figures recently released at the 2nd Tuberculosis Symposium in Thessaloniki show that every year 20 million people are suffering from the disease. Of these, 9 million are new cases and about 2 million of die each year. In developed countries, the incidence is less than 200 per 100,000 population but in countries in Asia and Africa this rises to 100-300 or more per 100,000.
