Tuberculosis: Current status of 'infectious cancer'

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Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease caused and spread by a particular bacteria. It ranks in the top 10 of deadly illnesses of all kinds. Patients with TB may cough, feel chest pains and have a fever – these are common symptoms of many diseases, making TB hard to diagnose.

Click here to learn more about TB with a quiz we made last year.

Although TB may be disappearing in most developed countries, it is still a big problem in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The infographic below shows the current situation of TB in our world.

The WHO fact sheet about TB. /Infographic by Zhang Xuecheng

TB in China

TB is like a lingering ghost in China. Although most of the people have never met a patient, outbreaks may still happen.

The latest outbreak was in August 2017, during which 29 middle school students were diagnosed in central China's Hunan Province.

Six officials, including head of the local health and education bureau, were sacked after the outbreak.

China is one of the most-burdened countries concerning the TB fight, put forward big funds to control the disease.

Huge some of money are funded by the Chinese government each year since 2014.

China's budget towards fighting TB /Screenshot from WHO

Death rates of TB have declined in China since 2000. /Screenshot from WHO

And the money is not wasted. The death rate of TB in China has cut to half in the past two decades.

What will China do in the coming years to stop TB from spreading?

Tune in to find the answer during China's first lady, Peng Liyuan's video presentation on Wednesday as she addresses the UN General Assembly regarding TB in China.

(Cover picture: VCG Photo)