The TB pandemic: an old problem seeking new solutions

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to kill more than 2 million people globally each year. Annual TB case notification rates have risen up to fourfold since the mid-1980s, with the highest rate of 1000/100 000 around Cape Town, South Africa. There is an urgent need for novel diagnostic methods and preventive vaccines to control this epidemic. The rising incidence of TB has been attributed to HIV co-infection especially in developing countries. The threat of drug resistance arising from ineffective TB treatment programmes is looming and could potentially lead to loss of any gains made in controlling the disease globally.