In the 1960s medical authorities thought it was only a matter of time before tuberculosis was wiped out world wide. Now the World Health Organization reports that in 1999 there were 8.4 million new cases of TB reported, up from 8.0 million in 1997. If current trends hold, there will be 10.5 million new cases by 2005.
Tuberculosis is also a major problem in the former Soviet republics.
Global Tuberculosis Control Report Summary . World Health Organization, 2001. Russia faces TB time bomb . Carolyn Wyatt, The BBC, March 24, 2001. Worldwide threat of TB .