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The World Health Organization released a new action plan, which they hope will cut global TB deaths by half over the next few years.
Tuberculosis – although generally curable - kills millions of people each year around the world. Twenty-two countries account for 80% of the world’s TB burden, with South Africa one of the worst affected.
While ambitious, WHO officials believe the targets outlined today are achievable . . . assuming the 4.2 billion dollar yearly shortfall in necessary funding can be addressed.
A difficult task given today’s economy.
Here then are excerpts from today’s press release, along with links to the plan.
New action plan lays the foundation for tuberculosis elimination
Targets are realistic, but a projected shortfall of US$ 4.2 billion per year for TB care and crucial research must be filled
13 OCTOBER 2010 | JOHANNESBURG | BERLIN | GENEVA -- The world could be on its way towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) if governments and donors fully invest in a plan released today by the Stop TB Partnership. The global plan to stop TB 2011-2015: transforming the fight towards elimination of tuberculosis for the first time identifies all the research gaps that need to be filled to bring rapid TB tests, faster treatment regimens and a fully effective vaccine to market. It also shows public health programmes how to drive universal access to TB care, including how to modernize diagnostic laboratories and adopt revolutionary TB tests that have recently become available.
Related links
The Stop TB Partnership
The global plan to stop TB 2011-2015: transforming the fight towards elimination of tuberculosisAction needed against TB
"There is an urgent need to scale up action against TB - 10 million people, including 4 million women and children, will lose their lives unnecessarily between now and 2015 if we fail," says Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO, which hosts the Stop TB Partnership. "TB control works, with global incidence of the disease declining since 2004, although much too slowly."
Twenty-two countries, including South Africa, bear 80% of the burden of TB worldwide. Some 9 million people become ill with active TB and nearly 2 million die each year. The new Global Plan sets out to provide diagnosis and treatment approaches recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for 32 million people over the next five years.
Blueprint to cut global TB deaths by half
"The Global Plan to Stop TB provides an urgently needed blueprint to cut global TB deaths by half," says Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health of South Africa. "In South Africa we have embarked on an ambitious agenda for reducing the toll of TB on our people, and we are committed to meeting the Global Plan's targets. We call on world leaders to invest in the plan, which can help move us towards ridding the world of TB."
Although TB is curable, the treatment requires taking a combination of drugs for at least six months. Laboratories in most countries are still using a century-old diagnostic method that involves searching for TB bacteria derived from a person's sputum under a microscope. And there is still no vaccine able to prevent pulmonary TB, the most common form of the disease.
In a related story today, South Africa has announced that they plan to eventually test all HIV positive patients for Tuberculosis.
South Africa to test all HIV patients for TB
By JENNY GROSS, Associated Press Writer Jenny Gross,
South Africa has for many years endured an epidemic of HIV, and those whose immune systems have been weakened by that virus are more prone to contract TB.
While the need is great today, routine testing isn’t expected to become a standardized procedure for several more years.
