China Cuts Number of TB Cases in Half

A report shows China has reduced more than half of its tuberculosis (TB) prevalence in past 15 years. The Lancet published a report on Monday said the number of TB patients in China dropped from 170 to 59 per hundred thousand. There is no report on how serious TB problem in Tibet is, but TB rate for the Tibetan community in India is one the highest in the world. According to Tibetan government in exile report last year, the rate of TB patients in exile is 461 per hundred thousand, while India itself is at 176 per 100,000, according to WHO. China and India are considered to be the biggest contributor to the world’s tuberculosis pandemic. Being in between these two countries, there is a high risk for the Tibetans in Tibet to get TB, said Tinley Palmo, an official from the Health Department of Tibetan Government in exile says. Sources: The Lancet; WHO, VOA English Health, BBC, (Plus previously interviewed acts)