27/03/2008 (Agence Europe) - The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has developed, in cooperation with experts from the 27 EU member states, an action plan to fight effectively against tuberculosis (TB) in the European Union. Presented on 17 March on the occasion of the World Day against Tuberculosis, the action is accessible on the ECDC internet site (http://www.ecdc.europa.eu ). In 2006, 87,806 cases of TB were reported in the EU-27 countries, down slightly from the 91,578 cases reported in 2005. Nonetheless, the rate of TB cases being reported in the EU amounts to nearly 18 cases per 100,000 population. While this is low by international standards, the EU is still a long way short of eliminating TB, given (1) that progress in reducing the rate of TB cases has been slow, and (2) that there is a high incidence of TB in the Union's immediate neighbourhood. (O.J.)