The United States has announced a new initiative to help the government of Ethiopia combat high levels of tuberculosis in the country.

A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa says the U.S. Agency for International Development will contribute $42 million over the next five years to provide diagnosis, treatment, case detection and other services to over 25 million Ethiopians.

The USAID funding will help the Ethiopian government expand and improve tuberculosis treatment services in 10 zones of Ethiopia's Amhara and Oromia regions, with additional zones being added after two years of implementation.

Ethiopian officials say tuberculosis is the country's third greatest killer disease and is the leading cause of hospitalization in Ethiopia.