DPH's Tuberculosis Program staff.

Roughly one-third of the world's population is estimated to be infected with the bacteria causing tuberculosis (TB). And in 2011, there were almost 1.4 million tuberculosis-related deaths worldwide.  

March 24 is World Tuberculosis Day and the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) will join the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and others March 23 for the seventh annual Tuberculosis Awareness Walk to raise awareness of the disease.

"We have the ability to stop TB in our lifetime: the drugs, the diagnostics and a dedicated public health work force that performs heroic deeds for their patients every day," said Rose-Marie Sales, M.D., program director of DPH's Tuberculosis Program. "We need to let more people know that TB has not gone away and that a strong public health infrastructure is crucial to stop the spread of this infectious but curable disease." 

Cases in Georgia are on the rise, increasing 3.5 percent from 347 cases in 2011 to 359 cases in 2012. The average cost of treating an uncomplicated case of tuberculosis is around $5,500, but the cost of treating a multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) case is more than $250,000.There was one MDR-TB case last year in Georgia. 

Tuberculosis can impact people in various ways. People with healthy immune systems can become infected. Like the common cold, tuberculosis spreads through the air when infected people cough, spit, talk or sneeze. Each person sick with tuberculosis can infect 10 to 15 people a year if not treated.    

The disease can also be detrimental to someone affected by HIV or AIDS and is the leading cause of death among persons infected with HIV. But treatment can extend the life of persons infected with HIV two to five years.

Tuberculosis also has an economical impact. Lost work time for a person sick with tuberculosis is three to four months while lost income is about 20 percent of annual household income. 

On a national level, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently made strides to fight MDR-TB by approving a tuberculosis drug that is the first new medicine to fight the deadly infection in several decades. The agency approved Sirturo, the first medicine specifically designed for treating multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, for use with other older drugs to fight hard-to-treat tuberculosis. 

The 2013 Tuberculosis Awareness Walk will be held in Grant Park, beginning at 9 a.m. Registration begins at 8 a.m. Activities include live music and family-friendly activities like face painting. Speakers will provide education about the disease and its impact on Georgia.

"DPH has participated in the walk every year it has been held and would not miss an opportunity to educate the public about TB and its effect on the state, nation and the world," Sales said.