The Wire

Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is now a world wide phenomenon and presents a challenge similar in scale and impact to HIV infection in the 1980’s according to Australian medical professionals. Vaccines are largely ineffective and treatment hasn’t changed since at least the 1960’s. TB has killed 30 million people since the World Health Organisation declared it a global health emergency 22 years ago. But on World TB Day there is some hope for a breakthrough, with a $30 million funding commitment from the federal government. The news is heartening for TB sufferer Louie Zepeda, who was left blind by the aggressive out-dated treatment.