Tuberculosis, commonly referred to as TB, is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. It is a leading cause of death worldwide and remains a serious health problem in many parts of the world. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has established the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) to reduce TB incidence and mortality. Let’s take a look at what NTEP does and why it’s important.

What Does NTEP Do?

The primary goal of NTEP is to eliminate TB in the United States by reducing new cases of active TB disease from 9,000 cases in 1993 to fewer than 1,000 cases per year by 2020. To accomplish this goal, NTEP works with healthcare providers, public health agencies, state governments, and community-based organizations to provide surveillance, prevention services, and quality improvement activities related to TB control.

NTEP also works with several other organizations in order to reduce disparities in TB occurrence among certain populations such as racial/ethnic minorities and those who are homeless or incarcerated. Specifically, NTEP focuses on increasing awareness of latent TB infection among these high-risk populations and providing access to services that can help prevent progression from latent infection to active disease.

Additionally, NTEP provides technical assistance on topics such as clinical management of drug-resistant strains of TB through its Technical Assistance Network (TAN). TAN serves as a resource for clinicians who need information about diagnosis and treatment options for their patients with drug-resistant strains of TB or other forms of complicated or difficult-to-treat tuberculosis.

Why Is This Important?

The importance of eliminating TB cannot be overstated; not only does it reduce suffering from a deadly disease but it also saves lives and money. By preventing new cases through early detection and treatment of latent infection or active disease, NTEP helps save lives while also reducing costs associated with prolonged hospital stays or disability due to complications from untreated illness. Additionally, eliminating disparities in access to healthcare will help ensure that all individuals have equal opportunities for prevention and treatment regardless of race/ethnicity or economic level.

Conclusion:

The National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NTEP) is an important program that works towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) in the United States through surveillance, prevention services, quality improvement activities related to TB control as well as increasing awareness about latent TB infection among high risk populations like racial/ethnic minorities and those who are homeless or incarcerated. Its primary goal is to reduce new cases from 9 000 in 1993 down to less than 1 000 per year by 2020 – a goal which could save countless lives if achieved! Ultimately this kind of progress towards ending preventable illnesses such as TB will benefit us all both directly through improved individual health outcomes but also indirectly through improved community wellbeing across our nation. It’s clear that we should do everything possible to support programs like NTEP that are making this kind of progress possible!