USAID unveils $50 million package for fighting TB

Part of global effort to reduce drug-resistant strains

The U.S. Agency for International Develop-ment announced a major governmental initiative to stem the threat of drug-resistant tuberculosis worldwide during the First International Conference on Emerging and Infectious Disease in Atlanta.

The initiative, which includes a $50 million congressional appropriation, will conduct programs in targeted countries to fight escalating health threats imposed by bacterial resistance, tuberculosis, and malaria.

USAID's new strategy is based on the principles of prevention, early action, and building local capacity. It will concentrate on a multi-year effort that will:

· develop strategies and interventions to understand, contain, and respond to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance;

· reduce the spread of tuberculosis in key populations, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the newly independent states;

· decrease deaths caused by malaria and other infectious diseases in selected countries;

· Improve the capacity of countries to obtain and use quality data for surveillance and effective response to infectious diseases.

"This strategy is designed to contribute to at least a 10% reduction in the number of deaths due to infectious causes, excluding AIDS, by the year 2007," said Nils Daulaire, MD, spokesperson for USAID.