'Wiser spending' could stop TB

TB could be stopped if money spent trying to reduce the effects of the disease was used more wisely, experts have claimed.

The TARGETS Consortium at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine has called for more intelligent use of funds to help people in Africa avoid TB.

Dr Ruth McNerney from the consortium told the Guardian that more access to medication is needed and therefore developing a "reliable, simple, rapid test to detect TB" is a necessity,

"We can't screen people for TB in their communities because we don't have a test to use, and we fail to detect many cases when people do finally go to a health clinic for help," she stated.

"If we don't know who to treat then the disease will continue to spread and millions will continue to die. It's time to spend our money a little more wisely. Let's invest where we might really make a difference."

There are simple tests to determine whether people have HIV and malaria, but no such test exists for TB at present.

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