UN marks World Tuberculosis Day

New York, 24 Mar – (ANA) – the United Nations has called for global efforts to eliminate tuberculosis and its devastating effects. In a statement to mark World Tuberculosis Day, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: "Let us vow to end the neglect of TB and to end deaths from this disease in our lifetime."

Observed annually on 24 March, World TB Day raises awareness about the

global epidemic and efforts to eliminate a disease that the Secretary-General said has not received sufficient attention and resulted in needless suffering.

In 2010 alone, nearly nine million people fell ill with TB and 1.4

million died, with 95 per cent of these deaths occurring in developing

countries. (ANA)

FA/ANA/26 March 2012-------