[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 47 (Wednesday, March 24, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E477-E478]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         WORLD TUBERCULOSIS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 24, 2010

  Mr. REYES. Madam Speaker, I rise today on World Tuberculosis Day in 
support of local community efforts to raise awareness of tuberculosis, 
TB. World TB Day commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch 
announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria 
that causes TB.
  On World TB Day, I encourage citizens to take the opportunity to 
learn about this disease, which infects one third of the world's 
population and causes almost two billion deaths worldwide. TB bacteria, 
which is spread through the air, usually attack the lungs, but can also 
attack the kidney, spine and brain. If not properly treated, the 
disease can be fatal.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 12,904 
reported cases of TB in the United States in 2008. Although both the 
number of TB cases reported and the case rate decreased in the United 
States in 2008, we still must work toward the elimination of TB.
  Although my district in El Paso has a TB rate that is lower than the 
average border rate,

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people in border communities like mine are particularly susceptible to 
this disease. Community organizations in my district such as the 
Alliance of Border Collaboratives, the TB Program at the Mexican 
Consulate in El Paso, the Pan American Health Organization, the 
University of Texas at El Paso TB Photovoice Project and a number of 
cross-border partners, work hard every day to eliminate TB.
  I encourage all Americans to participate in community events that 
raise awareness of this issue. As awareness of this disease increases, 
together we can work toward the elimination of the disease.

                          ____________________