On 16 June, WHO convened a high-level event to shine the spotlight on the importance of TB prevention which urgently needs to be ramped up to reduce suffering and save lives from TB – one of the world’s top infectious killers. The event, titled “A global drive to scale up TB prevention” comes 18 months before the deadline established by Heads of State at the United Nations High Level Meeting on TB in 2018, to achieve ambitious targets towards ending TB. It is also 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic that has profoundly disrupted access to essential TB prevention and care services.
The event was opened by the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In his keynote address, he underlined the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB prevention and care. He urged governments and partners to build upon recent successes in scale-up of TB preventive treatment, and accelerate the drive to bring many more millions of people on TB preventive treatment, particularly children and other contacts of people with TB.
“If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that health is a human right, not a luxury for those who can afford it,” said Dr Tedros. “With solidarity, determination and the equitable use of tools, we will defeat COVID-19. And with the same solidarity, determination and equitable use of tools, we can end TB."
Dr Bharati Kallottee, a TB & MDR-TB survivor and advocate, shared her painful experience with the disease. She made a moving appeal for scaling up access to TB preventive treatment so that people and families are spared the suffering that she endured despite being a doctor.
A special ministerial panel featured commitments and statements to step up TB prevention from Ministers of Health of seven high TB/MDR-TB burden countries across all WHO regions: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, and the Russian Federation.
Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme, presented the Call To Action 2.0 outlining steps to overcome barriers and accelerate the scale-up of TB prevention. The Call was supported and endorsed by the WHO Civil Society Taskforce and agency heads & representatives from 18 partner agencies and professional bodies: Aurum Institute, American Thoracic Society, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, European Respiratory Society, FIND, The Global Fund, International AIDS Society, KNCV foundation, Médecins Sans Frontières, Sentinel Project, Stop TB Partnership, Treatment Action Group, The Union, UNICEF, Unitaid, USAID, US Centre for Disease control and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief.
“WHO and partners are calling on governments and other stakeholders to keep the promises they made and accelerate coverage of TB preventive treatment for those in need,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva. “It is now urgent for countries and partners to undertake a systematic and invigorated drive to boost the evaluation of people at risk of TB and increase access to TB preventive treatment and other preventive actions”.
The Call was developed through a broad-based stakeholder consultation including all major implementing and funding partners. The Call To Action urges governments and donors to invest adequately in TB prevention, strengthen health system capacity and rapidly enhance coverage of TB preventive treatment to those in need, particularly individuals exposed to TB.
Following the launch of the Call to Action, a roundtable discussion was held with the Global Fund, Stop TB Partnership, USAID, US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and UNITAID, on mobilizing increased resources and investments for TB prevention. This was prompted by an impassioned plea for resources for TB preventive treatment from a South African community nurse, based on her experiences on the ground.
The event was closed by the WHO Assistant Director-General of Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases, Dr Ren Minghui who urged rapid operationalization of the Call to Action.
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