When you think of tuberculosis, or TB, it is not an illness you would expect to hear about in 2017. But about 1,500 Canadians are living with TB, 300 of whom are in British Columbia. It remains the number one infectious disease in the world.

For more than 30 years, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has had a partnership with the TB Vets Charitable Foundation who have given us more than $2 million to date. On Wednesday afternoon, representatives from the TB Foundation presented a cheque of close to $87,000 to support patients in Vancouver General Hospital’s (VGH) TB ward, funding research into new drugs to treat TB and supporting the successful Recreation Therapy program.

“People affected by this disease need support, and will continue to need support until we achieve TB elimination.” says Dr. James Johnston, Clinical Assistant Professor for the Division of Respiratory Medicine, who spoke at the cheque presentation. “The TB ward, to function well, needs support like this. This  donation is very important to continue the high standard of TB care here at VGH. Thank you.”

Frank, a patient who was admitted to VGH’s TB ward about two weeks ago, says he is “very grateful” for the care he has received so far and for the support of the TB Vets Charitable Foundation.

“I was told that if I would have came in any later, I would have died,” he told the audience at the event. “I’m very grateful to be here, in the TB ward, getting better. I’m still recovering, I’m losing my breath just by talking this much, but I’m just really grateful to have this team working with me and for me. That comes from the bottom of my heart.”[:zh]

当您想到肺癆或肺结核病时，没有人認为在2017年還会聽到这个病。但实在加拿大還有约1500名肺结核病患者，其中300名病人住在卑诗省。 它仍然是世界上頭號传染疾病。

温哥华综合医院暨卑诗大学医院基金会与TB Vets慈善基金会的合作伙伴关系超過30年，迄今他們已捐助了超过200万的善款。 周三下午，TB Vets 基金会的代表帶來$ 87,000的善款，以支持温哥华综合医院（VGH）的肺結核病人，资助硏發治疗肺结核病的新药，并支持成功的康复治疗计划。

呼吸医学科临床助理教授James Johnston博士在接受支票時表示，“肺結核病人需要我們的支持，直到完全康復度为止。肺結核病房需要这样的捐款才能运作得更好。 这项捐赠对維持高质量的肺结核病治疗至关重要。 谢谢大家！

两个星期前入院的肺结核病者Frank说，他非常感谢醫护人員悉心的照顾以及TB Vets慈善基金会所提供的资助。

“医护人员告訴我，如我未能及時入院，生命便會有危险，非常感恩我還可以在肺結核病房接受治療。 現今我还在康復，才说了这么多我已感到呼吸困难，但我非常感谢有这个团队和我一起努力並为我治疗，