MOSCOW, September 27. /TASS/. Russia has turned out to be the world’s most successful tuberculosis fighter, Russian Health Minister Veronika Skvortsova stated on Thursday during the interview with the Rossiya-24 channel on Thursday.

"We are the global leader according to the pace in solving this issue," she noted, adding, "all countries acknowledge Russia’s foremost role here."

According to the minister, "in 10 years, Russia has reduced the incidence of tuberculosis by over 42%, and the death rate by 64%." Skvotrsova also stressed that Russia’s experience is "in high demand throughout the international community."

According to the World Health Organization, 10 million people contract tuberculosis annually. One in ten that are infected are children. The data for 2017 suggests that nearly half a million people develop a form of tuberculosis that is highly resistant to numerous medications. Tuberculosis remains the most common infectious cause of death in the world, taking 4,400 lives daily.