( CNN ) -- Thousands have died in the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa , and much of the global conversation has centered on the lack of an approved medication to treat the deadly disease . Yet in 2013 , 1.5 million people died from another infectious disease that has a cure . On Wednesday , the World Health Organization released its 2014 Global Tuberculosis Report , which shows that 9 million people developed tuberculosis in 2013 and 1.5 million died , making it one of the world 's deadliest communicable diseases . `` In addition , around 3 million people who fall ill from TB are still being 'missed ' by health systems each year either because they are not diagnosed , or because they are diagnosed but not reported , '' the WHO said in a statement . Tuberculosis , commonly called TB , is a bacterial infection that can be spread through the air . The bacteria usually attack patients ' lungs but can also hit the kidney , spine and brain . Tuberculosis can be fatal , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , but it does n't have to be . Four drug regimens are approved to treat TB ; the bacteria can usually be conquered by taking a mix of medications for six to nine months . More than 700 infants exposed to TB in Texas . The prevalence rate of TB has fallen 41 % since 1990 . But given the fact `` that most deaths from TB are preventable , the death toll from the disease is still unacceptably high and efforts to combat it must be accelerated , '' the WHO report authors write . Part of the reason so many are dying from tuberculosis is that a strain of the bacteria has become resistant to treatment . About 3.5 % of the people who were diagnosed with TB in 2013 had this form of the disease , according to the WHO . But that 's only 3.5 % . Another reason is lack of funding , the WHO says . About $ 8 billion is needed each year for a `` full response , '' the agency says , but just over $ 6 billion is allocated . This money shortage plays into what is probably the top reason many people with tuberculosis are not being treated : The majority of cases are found in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific . Another quarter are found in Africa , which has the highest prevalence and death rate . Many people in these regions simply do n't have access to quality health care . `` Pharmaceutical industries are less interested in diseases in developing countries where potential gains are limited , '' said Dr. Mario Raviglione , director of WHO 's Global Tuberculosis Programme . `` As a result , we have a problem ( with tuberculosis ) because people know that 95 % of cases are in developing countries . '' There are 15 tuberculosis vaccines being tested in clinical trials around the world , according to the WHO report . An effective vaccine could be a way to stop the epidemic for good . CNN 's Christina Lee contributed to this story .
World Health Organization releases 2014 Global Tuberculosis Report . 9 million people developed tuberculosis in 2013 , it says . TB is a bacterial infection that can be spread through the air . It kills about 1 - 2 % of those who contract it every year.