Political Quotes

“the threat of tuberculosis is spreading rapidly throughout the developing world, and ultimately in this country. TB is the greatest infectious killer of adults worldwide. More than one-third of African AIDS victims actually end up, in the end, dying from tuberculosis. 1,100 people a day are dying from tuberculosis in India. It kills 2 million people worldwide per year, one person every 15 seconds. We have a very small window of opportunity, during which stopping TB would be very cost effective. In the developing world, the cost can be as little as $20; $20 can save generally a pretty young life. If we wait or go too slowly, more drug-resistant TB will emerge. It costs billions to control with no guarantee of success. Drug-resistant TB is at least 100 times more expensive in developing countries, and is 100 times more expensive in the United States to cure than nondrug-resistant TB. Mr. Speaker, I have introduced legislation to combat TB here and abroad. We have an opportunity to save millions of lives now and prevent millions of needless deaths, not just overseas, but ultimately in this country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to consider joining several dozen of us as cosponsors in our fight to eliminate tuberculosis.”