The consequences of Robert Koch's Discovery for countries with a high prevalence of tuberculosis

Since the issue of the 8th report of the WHO Expert Committee on Tuberculosis in 1964, the importance of Robert Koch's discovery has become fully apparent, becoming the basis of the development of the National Tuberculosis Control Programme. Robert Koch's discovery has had three main consequences for high prevalence countries. 1. It provides an unfailing epidemiological index which permits the evaluation of the tuberculosis problem in each country and the definition of the aims of the programmes. 2. It is the basis of the case-finding policy. 3. It makes possible the follow-up of the results of treatment in individual as well as in the community. The message of hope for the whole humanity, that was implied by the announcement in march 1882 of the remarkable discovery of the Koch bacillus, should be translated into reality in the next few decades by the progressive disappearance of tuberculosis in man.