LAUSR

www.jogh.org • doi: 10.7189/jogh.10.010308 1 June 2020 • Vol. 10 No. 1 • 010308 Until the 1950s, tuberculosis (TB) was a public health threat in many high-income countries, however, since the development of a vaccine, introduction of effective treatments and rising living standards, incidence has plummeted and new cases are now predominantly imported cases from endemic regions [1]. In predominantly poorer countries, TB still represents a major challenge. The stark global health inequity is highlighted by the 2015 World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘End TB’ strategy which seeks to “eliminate TB as a public health problem” by 2050 [2] – a century after the disease came under control in high income countries. Today, the growing incidence of multidrug resistant (MDR-TB) and totally drug resistant (XDR-TB) are adding to the complexity of disease control; limited funds, that could once have gone directly into public health programs, must now be redirected to research and development for new drugs to tackle drug-resistant disease. This provides a cautionary tale for hepatitis C elimination.