Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease of poverty. It primarily affects poor people, who are vulnerable due to poor overall health, crowded living conditions and lack of access to health care. TB deepens poverty by disabling or killing family breadwinners, requiring children to leave school in order to earn money to support their family or care for their sick relative. 

One of the most cost-effective actions we could take in the war against poverty and disease is to increase our investment in international TB treatment and control. 
The President’s budget request for 2003 cuts funding for international programs to fight TB and malaria by nearly one-third. The budget also cuts funding for international child survival and maternal health programs. The budget grossly under funds the new Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria at just $200 million per year. If enacted, the President’s Budget would deny tens of millions of people access to life-saving prevention, treatment and cures for major killer diseases such as TB. This will only deepen poverty in poor countries.

The US must lead the way in bolstering global health by providing $200 million for international TB control in 2003, $1.2 billion for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, and protecting and expanding existing child survival and maternal health funding.  The war on terrorism won’t be won by military action alone. The weed of terrorism flourishes in the soil of poverty and disease. That’s a field where we can accomplish a lot with relatively small investment -- so let’s do it.