World Health Organization has been targeting to reduce Tuberculosis by 50 percent from the 1990 rate, although the results have not been satisfactory.
According to an annual assessment of TB, WHO says new cases of Tuberculosis has reduced by 2.2 percent from 2011 - 2012. However, many are still infected by the disease.
"The global burden of TB remains enormous with an estimated, in the latest estimate of this report, 8.7 million new cases of which 13 percent, or over a million, are co-infected with HIV," said Mario Raviglione, director of WHO TB department.
Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection which affects not only the lungs, but can also affect any other part of the body. It's a communicable disease which can spread though air.
Raviglione also said that the highest percentage of TB cases is from India and China, which is 40 percent followed by the African region which has 24 percent of world's TB cases. The funding in fighting the disease is very essential as an estimate of $8 billion will be needed during 2013 - 2015.
Raviglione has also revealed new tools which could make an enormous difference in the eradication of the disease.
"On the one hand, we have existing as well as new tools on the horizon which could make a significant difference and even support dreams of elimination in some settings," Raviglione said in a press release.
He expressesed a need of these additional resources to be "urgently mobilized by the governments of endemic countries."
Dr. Ann Ginsberg, vice-president of Aeras, an organization working on vaccines says TB is spread across the globe and touched many people.
"If we really want to control this epidemic we need safe, affordable vaccines - but it's a very complex disease and may require multiple vaccines," she continued.
A vaccine named "MVA85A" has been developed by professor Helen McShane, which has been used to vaccine about 3,000 babies in Africa. Dr. Ginsberg, hopes this would be a revolutionary change to fight against the disease, "if it proves effective, it would be a hugely exciting result."
