The return of the white plague : global poverty and the 'new' tuberculosis /

Tuberculosis kills about two million people a year worldwide and has infected perhaps a third of the world's population. The World Health Organization has declared it a global emergency because it is spreading as a result of HIV/AIDS and the breakdown of public health systems in many countries; even more worrying is the emergence of multi-drug-resistant forms, threatening people everywhere. This book collects contributions from many academics and public health experts on the reasons for this problem and efforts to treat it. The disease spreads in conditions of poverty, malnutrition, and crowding, and drug-resistant forms emerge when treatment is inadequate. Contributors examine the nature of the problem and conditions that have led to its spread in various places at various times. The concluding section, "Advocacy and Action," discusses what is or should be being done, not only on the science and public health level, but in the areas of poverty and social injustice. The authors believe the epidemic is to a significant degree a political and human rights problem. An informative source on an important problem. ^BSumming Up: Highly recommended. All levels. M. Taylor University of Colorado at Denver