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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Justin Harmon (609) 258-5732
Date: February 18, 1997
Tuberculosis: A Global Emergency
Panel to Address Return of Deadly Infectious Disease
PRINCETON, N.J. -- A panel of health experts, along with Princeton graduate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader, will discuss the global spread of tuberculosis, which killed 3 million people in 1995 and now claims more lives each year than it did at the turn of the century.
The discussion, "Infectious Disease, the World's Largest Health Issue/Focus: Tuberculosis" will take place on Sunday, February 23 at 1:30 p.m. in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall, in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Besides Nader, the panel will feature:
- Richard Bumgarner , deputy director of the Global Tuberculosis Program for the World Health Organization;
- Dr. Gordon Douglas, president for Global Vaccines, Merck & Company;
- Herbert Pigman, chairman of the Rotary International Polio Eradication Program;
- Dr. Lee Reichman, executive director of the New Jersey Medical School National Tuberculosis Center and past president of the American Lung Association.
Tuberculosis is caused by a microorganism that infects both humans and animals. It causes lesions on the lungs, bones and other parts of the body. The last deadly wave of TB peaked around 1900, when the annual death toll topped 2 million. With the development of vaccines to combat the disease, the number of deaths annually dropped through the 1950s, according to the WHO.
Today, however, TB is on the rise again. Although TB hits hardest in developing countries, 120,000 cases were reported in North America in 1995, including 22,812 new cases in the United States. Persons with HIV are especially vulnerable.
In developing countries, some health workers improperly administer drugs that fight the disease. This can result in the emergence of drug-resistant strains of TB bacilli. Also, many patients cannot afford medications or forget to take them, causing the disease to spread. According to the WHO, the increasing number of international air travelers and the flight of refugees have contributed to the spread of the disease.
The event is sponsored by the Wilson School, Princeton University Health Services and Princeton Project 55, an organization started by graduates of Princeton's Class of 1955. Princeton Project 55 supports organizations, students, and young alumni working in the public interest. Two of the speakers, Nader and Douglas, are members of the Class of 1955.
This event is free and open to the public.