US Aid Agency Gives $3.4 Million to Fight Tuberculosis in Russia

The US Agency for International Development has given a $3.4 million grant to the Red Cross to fight TB in Russia, the Red Cross said Monday. TB has spread rapidly in Russia over the past decade, especially in the country's overcrowded jails. Among Russia's 145 million people, there are some 130,000 new cases and 30,000 deaths from the disease each year, according to the Red Cross. The prevalence of drug-resistant strains of the disease in Russia has become a major international health concern in recent years. In its three-year program, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies aims to introduce international principles of TB control, focusing on marginalized groups such as homeless, alcoholics and prison inmates, the organization said in a statement.

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