SPEAKER: It's a major problem. Our nation is getting old. We have a higher number of seniors in the last 10 years compared to any time before. In our projection, we find it out that in the next 50 years, the percentage of people aged more than 65 will increase to more than 15% of this population.

In other words, we're going to have early, high risk, susceptible for NTM in near future. That gives us a very important message. The number of NTM patients in the United States will increase in the next 50, 100 years.

Today is the time to make a plan, make infrastructure, train physicians, prepare patients, and ready for this big fight.

As a doctor, what I would suggest is always think about NTM. Screen your patients. React to the disease. Never ignore the report that you receive is NTM, MAC, and other bacteria. And if you need any consult, consult with experts in the field that should be available to you.