Tuberculosis crusade won’t end until killer of millions wiped out

WARREN Entsch will return to the US to crusade against tuberculosis this month.

The Federal Member for Leichhardt had spent three months seconded to the United Nations last year.

“Tuberculosis is totally curable,” Mr Entsch said.

“I have been working here with James Cook University and we have established a research grant focusing on developing a vaccine.”

Pushing for the discovery of a new tuberculosis vaccine has been one of Mr Entsch’s key goals in recent years.

“Everybody thinks it’s finished,” Mr Entsch said.

“Last year it infected 10.4 million people and 1.7 million people died.

“It kills more than HIV and ebola combined.”

A woman who frequently visited Papua New Guinea and the Torres Strait died from the disease at the Cairns Hospital in 2014.

“We have TB patients sit- ting in Cairns Hospital as we speak,” Mr Entsch said.

He will travel to the UN again in September.

Mr Entsch focused on four key United Nations policy discussions, covering tuberculosis, the illicit wildlife trade, managing natural assets, and youth mental health and suicide prevention.

He said the TB campaign was one of the “balls in the air” he was juggling during his term, the others being establishing an insurance mutual in the Far North and power north of the Daintree River.

“There’s no competition in insurance,” Mr Entsch said.

“Look where we are with fuel – we brought in a bit of competition and now we are cheaper than Brisbane at times.”

He said the insurance mutual would be owned by policy holders.

“I’ve copped some criticism for not achieving it quickly but there is no silver bullet.”