Washington- Cases of drug resistant tuberculosis as recorded has hit the highest rates ever, with regions of former USSR being the most vulnerable, reported the World Health Organization on Tuesday.

The report was based on data from about 81 countries. The World Health Organization projected that globally almost .5 million people in a year become infected with a type of TB that is resistant to 2 or more of the basic drugs used to treat the disease. This number counts to around 5 % of the 9 million new cases of TB annually.

Extremely drug-resistant TB, the type that is the hardest to treat, was found in forty five countries and it may also be seen in other countries because the data available from Africa was very limited, said the U.N. health agency.

In a telephone interview, Dr. Mario Raviglione, director of the WHO Stop TB Department said that he is frustrated because the world is not serious about the epidemic. “The report simply shows that we will face big trouble in various parts of the world,” he added.

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“Five million people were killed due to smoking in the year of 2000 alone and half the deaths of the smokers aged 30 to 69” – researchers from Harvard University and the University of Queensland have calculated.

The major cause of death was cardiovascular disease. The heart disease alone killed over 670,000 in the developing counties and 1 million people in the developed countries. Lung cancer due to smoking killed over 500,000 people in the developed world. Chronic obstructive airways disease (COPD), bronchitis has also killed more people.

“We must not forget that there are real people with these statistics like mothers, fathers, and loved-ones who have suffered lost up to 30 years of life because of their smoking addiction”. - Said Amanda Sandford, of the anti-smoking charity Ash.

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