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SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) today announced that James Post, Executive Vice President, North America Commercial Operations for Cepheid, and Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, will ring the NASDAQ Opening Bell on March 24 ^th 2014 to commemorate World TB Day.

World TB Day is an annual event that commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr. Robert Koch announced his discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis (TB). At the time of Koch's announcement, TB was raging through Europe and the Americas, causing the death of one out of every seven people. Koch's discovery opened the way towards diagnosing and curing TB.¹

In the early 1900s, TB was the leading cause of death in the United States. While improvements in global control of TB have been achieved over the last century, TB continues to be a leading cause of death from an infectious disease in many countries. In 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) took the unprecedented step of declaring TB a "global health emergency." ²

"Tuberculosis is preventable and curable," said James Post, Cepheid's Executive Vice President, North American Commercial Operations. "Continuing the decline in TB cases in the United States will require sustained focus on domestic TB control activities and further support of global TB control initiatives. Cepheid is honored to commemorate our partnership with the American Lung Association by ringing the opening bell for the NASDAQ Stock Market together and bringing attention to the need for increased awareness of TB to the widest possible audience."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) selected the theme "Find TB. Treat TB. Working together to eliminate TB" for World TB Day 2014 to highlight that tuberculosis is still a life-threatening problem in the United States, despite the declining number of TB cases. Anyone can get TB, and current efforts to find and treat latent TB infection and TB disease are not sufficient. Misdiagnosis of TB still exists and health care professionals often do not "think TB."¹

"The American Lung Association was founded in more than 100 years ago to combat tuberculosis, once the most feared disease in the world," said Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "We have made significant progress in the fight, but TB remains a significant threat to public health.  We remain strong champions and advocates for lung health and are committed to eradicating tuberculosis.  This World TB Day, we honor all those who continue the fight, through research, education and patient care."

For information about the American Lung Association and its fight against lung disease, please visit www.Lung.org. For more information about Cepheid's "Ride Against TB" campaign, please visit www.Facebook.com/RideAgainstTB.

About Cepheid
Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Cepheid (Nasdaq: CPHD) is a leading molecular diagnostics company that is dedicated to improving healthcare by developing, manufacturing, and marketing accurate yet easy-to-use molecular systems and tests. By automating highly complex and time-consuming manual procedures, the company's solutions deliver a better way for institutions of any size to perform sophisticated genetic testing for organisms and genetic-based diseases. Through its strong molecular biology capabilities, the company is focusing on those applications where accurate, rapid, and actionable test results are needed most, such as managing infectious diseases and cancer. Cepheid's newly announced Xpert MTB/RIF test can provide rapid information on the presence of TB and potential drug resistance within two hours, which distinguishes it from other available TB tests. For more information, visit http://www.cepheid.com.

About the American Lung Association
Now in its second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. With your generous support, the American Lung Association is "Fighting for Air" through research, education and advocacy. For more information about the American Lung Association, a holder of the Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Guide Seal, or to support the work it does, call 1 800 LUNG USA (1 800 586 4872) or visit www.lung.org.

References:

1. http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/pages/world-tb-day.htm  
2. http://report.nih.gov/NIHfactsheets/ViewFactSheet.aspx?csid=31

SOURCE Cepheid