The World Health Organisation (WHO) said that World leaders on Wednesday pledged their commitment to ensure that at least 40 million people with Tuberculosis (TB) would receive required treatment by 2022.
Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General, said in a statement by the organization, that the leaders also agreed to provide 30 million people with preventive treatment to protect them from developing TB.
Ghebreyesus said that the pledge was made by the world leaders at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s first-ever High-Level Meeting on the fight against TB which held in New York on Sept. 26.
He said that the meeting held to accelerate efforts in ending TB and reach all affected people with prevention and care.
“Heads of state and government attending this first-ever UN High-level meeting on TB also agreed to mobilise $13 billion a year, by 2022 to implement TB prevention and care and $2 billion for research.
“They committed to take firm action against drug-resistant forms of the disease, build accountability and prioritise human rights issues such as the stigma that still prevails around TB in many parts of the world.
“They acknowledged that the current rate of progress was endangering prospects of meeting global targets to end TB.
“Today, TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease; it killed 1.6 million people in 2017 including 300, 000 people with HIV. In the same year, 10 million people fell ill with TB.
“This day is, therefore, a landmark in the long war on TB. These are bold promises and to keep them in partnership is vital. WHO is committed to working with every country, every partner and every community to get the job done,” Ghebreyesus said.
Ms Maria Garcés, President of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly, said that the political declaration proposed for the meeting set a roadmap for accelerated action to end TB in line with the vision and targets for 2030.
Garcés said that the commitment made by the world leaders was therefore an opportunity to achieve this roadmap as it gave the chance to save the lives of millions and to preserve billions in resources.
She said that it was also an opportunity to demonstrate the success of the Sustainable Development Goals and to reaffirm the utility, efficacy and necessity of multilateralism and the UN System.
She urged the organisation, governments and other relevant bodies and partners not to miss the opportunity.
The theme for the UN General Assembly is: “United to End Tuberculosis: An Urgent Global Response to a Global Epidemic.”
