The World Health Organization reported on October 11, 2011 that the number of people getting sick with tuberculosis (TB) declined last year for the first time and the death toll reached its lowest level in a decade. In 2010, 8.8 million people fell ill with TB and 1.4 million died, marking notable declines compared to years prior according to the 2011 Global Tuberculosis Control Report released by the United Nations (UN). Globally, the TB death rate dropped 40% in 2010 compared to 1990 and all regions except Africa were on track to reach a 50% mortality decline by 2015. “This is major progress. But it is no cause for complacency,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. “Too many millions still develop TB each year, and too many die. I urge serious and sustained support for TB prevention and care, especially for the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”
