[Reappearance of tuberculosis, risks and consequences!]

WHO estimates that worldwide cases of TB will amount to 8.8 million in 1995 and 11.9 million in 2005. Compared with the estimated amount of TB cases of 7.5 million in 1990 there is a rise by 16.3 percent for 1995 and by 57.6 per cent for 2005. Treatment costs for TB are relatively low. If properly administered the treatment is effective in more than 95 percent of all cases. The mortality for TB estimated worldwide in 1992 and related to a population of 100,000 confirms that South East Asia and Subsaharian Africa show the highest mortality. The existing statistical data for Germany give an indication that the morbidity rate of newly acquired TB cases has increased only slightly. This increase is exclusively due to immigrants. The emergence of TB in Germany is not so serious that preventive measures on a large scale and at high cost are required. Doctors should be made aware of the problems of TB and should include this disease in their differential diagnosis. As is to be expected, the rate of new cases of TB is higher for members of disadvantaged groups and recipients of social welfare. The potential risk is growing wherever there may be unfavourable economic development. More attention will have to be given to those groups of people who carry a higher risk of infecting others. Between 5 and 10 per cent of HIV-infected patients in Germany also contract TB. WHO estimates that there will be about 88.2 million cases of TB worldwide during the ten years period from 1990 to 1999. About 8 million of these cases could be attributable to HIV infection.