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Of the 18 million, nine million are advanced cases and nearly 8.8 have been newly infected. Of the total patients, 95 per cent come from developing countries, he added. According to WHO, Thailand has 57,236 TB patients, with 90,000 new cases per year and ranks 18 in the list of 22 countries with a high incidence of the disease. India and China have 1.8 million and 1.5 million patients respectively, while Afghanistan has the lowest number with 25,000 cases per year.

The WHO report says that there should be no more than 6,400 new TB infections per year to keep the disease under control. However, some 30,000 patients in Thailand still don't have access to the treatment, which makes them a danger to other people, he said.

Prat added that of the total patients in Thailand, only 79 per cent had access to the drug cocktail, which is a lot lower than the WHO standard of 85 per cent. In addition, about 5 per cent of the patients died from developing a resistance to the drug.

Dr Manoon Leechawengwong of the Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Research Fund, which operates under the Siriraj Foundation, said 29 patients have been infected by the drug-resistant XDR strain, a problem that needs immediate action. According to reports, 52 people living with HIV/Aids in South Africa died within 16 days after contracting XDR.

In a bid to control tuberculosis cases, Prat has assigned medical workers, health officers and volunteers to identify and immediately treat infections among prisoners, people living with HIV/Aids, diabetes, pulmonary and asthma.