[Tuberculosis and solidarity].

Tuberculosis is very probably the oldest human epidemic and the one that has inflicted the most harm in the history of the species. Recent studies have estimated tuberculosis to be about 3 million years old,1 and during much of that time this disease has been our greatest scourge. It is difficult to accept that tuberculosis has been causing harm for so many millions of years and that even today, well into the 21st century, it still ranks among the 3 most deadly infectious diseases, alongside AIDS and malaria. Given that we have had the means to cure most cases of tuberculosis for over 40 years now, and that the scientific knowledge needed to control it in the community has been available for over 30 years, this situation is hard to justify.2 Nonetheless, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated a prevalence of more than 14 million cases worldwide in 2005, an annual incidence of about 9 million new cases and more than 1.5 million deaths.3 Spain and Portugal continue to be the Western European countries with the highest rates. According to the WHO, Spain registered about 13 000 new cases of tuberculosis in 2006. This would mean about 30 new cases per 100 000 inhabitants annually, a figure that is considerably higher than rates found in the rest of Western Europe.3 The main reasons for the appalling situation of tuberculosis worldwide are the following4: