That has changed dramatically, thanks to higher standards of living, medical and pharmaceutical advances, and the selfless efforts of those who long fought this dreaded disease. This success, however, has engendered 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 countries to 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 this disease, 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. These include the emergence of strains resistant to multiple drugs, the increasing frequency of group infections in schools,medical facilities,and facilities for the elderly, the growing incidence of tuberculosis among the elderly, and the presence of tubercular patients among foreign residents of Japan.