III 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 454 

Supporting the goals of World Tuberculosis Day to raise awareness about 

tuberculosis. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 15, 2010 

Mr. BROWN of Ohio submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 

the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals of World Tuberculosis Day to raise 

awareness about tuberculosis. 

Whereas tuberculosis (TB) is the second leading global infectious disease killer behind HIV/AIDS, claiming 1,800,000 

lives each year; 

Whereas the global TB pandemic and spread of drug resistant TB present a persistent public health threat to the 

United States; 

Whereas according to 2009 data from the World Health Organization, 5 percent of all new TB cases are drug resistant; 

Whereas TB is the leading killer of people with HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas TB is the third leading killer of adult women, and 

the stigma associated with TB disproportionately affects 


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•SRES 454 IS 

women, causing them to delay seeking care and interfering with treatment adherence; 

Whereas the Institute of Medicine found that the resurgence 

of TB between 1980 and 1992 was caused by cuts in TB 

control funding and the spread of HIV/AIDS; 

Whereas, although the numbers of TB cases in the United 

States continue to decline, progress towards TB elimination has slowed, and it is a disease that does not recognize borders; 

Whereas an extensively drug resistant strain of TB, known 

as XDR–TB, is very difficult and expensive to treat and 

has high and rapid fatality rates, especially among HIV/ 

AIDS patients; 

Whereas the United States has had more than 83 cases of 

XDR–TB over the last decade; 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 2009 that it costs $483,000 to treat a single 

case of XDR–TB; 

Whereas African-Americans are 8 times more likely to have 

TB than Caucasians, and significant disparities exist 

among other United State minorities, including Native 

Americans, Asian-Americans, and Hispanic-Americans; 

Whereas the United States public health system has the expertise to eliminate TB, but many State TB programs 

have been left seriously under-resourced due to budget 

cuts at a time when TB cases are growing more complex 

to diagnose and treat; 

Whereas, although drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines for TB 

exist, these technologies are antiquated and are increasingly inadequate for controlling the global epidemic; 


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•SRES 454 IS 

Whereas the most commonly used TB diagnostic in the 

world, sputum microscopy, is more than 100 years old 

and lacks sensitivity to detect TB in most HIV/AIDS patients and in children; 

Whereas current tests to detect drug resistance take at least 

1 month to complete and faster drug susceptibility tests 

must be developed to stop the spread of drug resistant 

TB; 

Whereas the TB vaccine, BCG, provides some protection to 

children, but has little or no efficacy in preventing pulmonary TB in adults; 

Whereas there is also a critical need for new TB drugs that 

can safely be taken concurrently with antiretroviral therapy for HIV; 

Whereas the Global Health Initiative commits to reducing TB 

prevalence by 50 percent; 

Whereas enactment of the Lantos-Hyde Global Leadership 

Against HIV/AIDS, TB, and Malaria Act and the Comprehensive TB Elimination Act provide an historic 

United States commitment to the global eradication of 

TB, including to the successful treatment of 4,500,000 

new TB patients and 90,000 new multi-drug resistant 

(MDR) TB cases by 2013, while providing additional 

treatment through coordinated multilateral efforts; 

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development provides financial and technical assistance to nearly 

40 highly burdened TB countries and supports the development of new diagnostic and treatment tools, and is authorized to support research to develop new vaccines to 

combat TB; 


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•SRES 454 IS 

Whereas the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

working in partnership with United States, States, and 

territories, directs the national TB elimination program 

and essential national TB surveillance, technical assistance, prevention activities, and supports the development 

of new diagnostic, treatment, and prevention tools to 

combat TB; 

Whereas the National Institutes of Health, through its many 

institutes and centers, plays the leading role in basic and 

clinical research into the identification, treatment, and 

prevention of TB; 

Whereas the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 

Malaria provides 63 percent of all international financing 

for TB programs worldwide and finances proposals worth 

$3,200,000,000 in 112 countries, and TB treatment for 

6,000,000 people, 1,800,000 HIV/TB services, and in 

many countries in which the Global Fund supports programs, TB prevalence is declining, as are TB mortality 

rates; and 

Whereas, March 24, 2010, is World Tuberculosis Day, a day 

that commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert 

Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals of World Tuberculosis 

3 Day to raise awareness about tuberculosis; 

4 (2) commends the progress made by anti-tuber5 culosis programs, including the United States Agen6 cy for International Development, the Centers for 


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•SRES 454 IS 

1 Disease Control and Prevention, the National Insti2 tutes of Health, and the Global Fund to Fight 

3 AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and 

4 (3) reaffirms its commitment to global tuber5 culosis control made through the Lantos-Hyde 

6 United States Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tu7 berculosis and Malaria Act of 2008 (Public Law 

8 108–25; 117 Stat. 711). 

Æ 


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