La Tuberculosis Pulmonar: Pasado, Presente y Futuro en Venezuela

Tuberculosis, is one of the oldest diseases of humanity, and currently a public health problem. The World Health Organization has estimated 2 billion individuals infected in 2007. In Venezuela there are about 6000 new cases per year. Research in this field have generated new knowledge and technologies that have improved its control, such as the introduction of TB drugs, vaccination, molecular diagnostic techniques and methods of molecular epidemiology. However, new challenges aim at multidisciplinary strategies for its eradication, including the strengthening of epidemiological surveillance systems and the development of new drugs and vaccines. The purpose of this article is to review the history of this disease and its epidemiological situation in Venezuela and the world, resistance to drugs, the importance of an accurate diagnosis, scientific advances and new challenges for eradicating TB.