Calls for more help in fight against TB

The battle against tuberculosis (TB), especially drug-resistant varieties, remains volatile in China, where at least 130,000 people die from the highly contagious disease annually, a health official said.

Jiang Shiwen, a division director with the National Center for TB Control and Prevention under the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued the alert on World Tuberculosis Day, yesterday.

A comprehensive government TB containment initiative launched in 2005 has provided free screening and drug therapy from designated organizations for all rural and urban residents.