For the first time in modern history, the rate of infections in the global tuberculosis epidemic has leveled off and may be on the "threshold of decline," the World Health Organization announced today.
The percentage of the world's population struck by TB peaked in 2004 and then held steady or even declined in 2005, according to the report, but the actual number of new cases increased to 8.8 million because of the growing world population.
Dr. Mario Raviglione, director of the WHO's Stop TB Department, said the figures represented the "first time ever" that TB rates had declined.
"Incidence has peaked around the world," he said. "This is fruition of all our efforts."
The announcement marks a milestone in the fight against TB, which the WHO declared a global health emergency in 1993 because of skyrocketing infections.
Since then, the number of deaths has declined from more than 3 million to 1.6 million in 2005, the report said.
The epidemic is centered primarily in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, which accounted for 7.4 million new cases in 2005, or 84% of the total.
"Nearly 60% of TB cases worldwide are detected, and out of those, the vast majority are cured," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. "Over the past decade, 26 million patients have been placed on effective TB treatment."
Dr. Lee Reichman, executive director of the Global Tuberculosis Institute at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, cautioned that TB remained a wily opponent.
One of the major concerns is the emergence of "basically untreatable" TB -- strains of the disease known as multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant TB.
Experts fear that either or both of those strains could gain a stronger foothold in the population, reversing the successes in treatment. The emergence of the strains has raised alarms even in countries with well-developed public health programs that have largely controlled the disease.
Treatment of drug-resistant TB strains costs nearly twice as much as treating conventional TB and takes much longer.
"With TB, we have learned through painful lessons that you should never declare victory prematurely," said Dr. Kenneth Castro, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Tuberculosis Elimination. "The moment you relent, TB has an incredible ability to come back with a vengeance."
