That has changed dramatically, thanks to higher standards of living, medical and pharmaceu-tical advances, and the selfless efforts of those who long fought this dreaded disease. This success, however, has eng-endered the illusion that tuberculosis has been conquered forever and is now a disease mentioned only in history books. This false sense of security is, unfortunately, common not only in the general public, but also among members of the medical community and government officials.
Tuberculosis is by no means a disease of the past.
In 1993,the World Health Organization declared a state of emergency with regard to tuberculosis and advised its member countriesto step up their efforts to treat and counter the spread of this contagion. In Japan, approximately 42,000 new cases were reported in 1997 alone. In the same year, some 2,700 people lost their lives to thisdisease, making tuberculosis Japan's deadliest contagious disease. Moreover, in recent years, Japan has come to face a wide range of serious problems pertaining to tuberculosis and calling for immediate action. It has now becomeapparent that, after many years of steady decline,the numberof new cases reported in 1997 marked the first increase in 38 years, while the morbidity rate increased for the first time in 43 years.