Global Laser Talk March 2012

Speaking to Congress About Our Tuberculosis Appropriations Requests

World TB Day, March 24, is a great the time for Congress to take decisive action to end this curable disease.

Tuberculosis is usually curable with low-cost medication, but it is still a significant public health threat. Resistance to TB drugs develops when the drugs are mismanaged, and then the TB becomes much more difficult and expensive to treat. About 650,000 cases of drug-resistant TB were reported in the world in 2010, but many cases were unreported.

With proper access to testing and treatment globally we can reduce the likelihood of more cases of drug-resistant TB in the US like the recent case at an Indiana high school that potentially exposed over 100 other students.

I would like the Congressperson to write and speak to the chair and ranking member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of Appropriations on two critical global health requests for FY 2013:

• $1.65 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
• $650 million for bilateral efforts to control TB as requested in the Lantos-Hyde Act

Can I count on the Congressperson to take this action on our TB investments? Can I send you more detailed information?