IN 20 years, China has more than halved its number of tuberculosis cases – with rates falling from 170 cases per 100,000 people in 1990 to 59 in 2010.
The success has been driven by a community-based programme that shifted treatment away from hospitals and into public health centres, according to an analysis by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Beijing (The Lancet, DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62639-2).
During the 1990s, TB cases fell only in Chinese provinces that implemented the initiative. By 2010, the programme had expanded to all provinces, and TB rates fell across the country.
Globally, about 1.3 million people die from TB each year. The study's authors say that community programmes are essential but better diagnostic tools and treatments are still needed.
This article appeared in print under the headline "TB win for China"
- Subscribe to New Scientist and you'll get:
- New Scientist magazine delivered every week
- Unlimited access to all New Scientist online content -
a benefit only available to subscribers - Great savings from the normal price
- Subscribe now!
If you would like to reuse any content from New Scientist, either in print or online, please contact the syndication department first for permission. New Scientist does not own rights to photos, but there are a variety of licensing options available for use of articles and graphics we own the copyright to.
