On World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, Johnson & Johnson joins the Stop TB Partnership and partners around the world to raise awareness about the world’s deadliest infectious disease.
TB claims the lives of over 1.6 million people every year—killing more people than HIV and malaria combined. Difficult-to-treat, “drug-resistant” forms of the disease are on the rise. Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) causes nearly one-third of all deaths due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). If current trends continue, DR-TB is projected to kill 2.5 million people per year and could cost the global economy over US$16 trillion by 2050.
Johnson & Johnson has a long history of innovating to develop new TB tools and technologies. We are inspired by the legacy of Dr. Paul Janssen, who lost his 4-year-old sister to tubercular meningitis in the 1940s. This tragic event led Dr. Janssen to devote his life to medical research, and ultimately, to found what is now the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Today, the company bearing his name is determined to help achieve the ambitious global goal of ending TB.
To raise awareness among our own staff, Johnson & Johnson has made available an e-brochure about the disease to employees around the world, including those in high-burden countries—such as India, China, the Russian Federation and South Africa. It explains what TB is, how to recognize its symptoms and what to do if you’ve been exposed to active TB. Download the e-brochure here.
Johnson & Johnson leads the Private Sector Constituency of the Stop TB Partnership. In recognition of World TB Day, this group of committed companies has issued a joint statement.