Stop TB Now Act: Ask your political leaders to help fight TB

Published 1:30 am Sunday, July 2, 2023

Mary Minor’s letter makes it clear that tuberculosis, once again the world’s top infectious killer, can be stopped (“We can fight tuberculosis with the Stop TB Now Act,” The Herald, June 21).

Why is a treatable, preventable and curable disease this kind of threat? While it is a disease plaguing the world’s struggling countries, all countries are at risk due to TB’s airborne transmission and its drug-resistant forms. TB is on the rise globally and in our state, according to the Washington State Department of Health.

We can help turn this around by asking Congress to pass the Stop TB Now Act and sign a bipartisan letter to the president, calling on the administration to demonstrate bold action at the upcoming United Nations High Level Meeting on TB.

It is time to get this infectious killer under control, and these actions are a critical step to finally be able to prevent, treat and cure this deadly disease.

Willie Dickerson

Snohomish