Global Plan Aims to End the TB Epidemic

Washington, DC, November 20, 2015 — On the heels of new data showing that tuberculosis is now the world’s leading infectious killer, the Stop TB Partnership has set out a new plan to end the global epidemic by 2030.

Dr. Joanne Carter, Executive Director of RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund and Vice-Chair of the Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board, released the following statement:

It’s clear we need to radically change the way we deal with the global TB epidemic, which now claims more lives every year than even HIV/AIDS and is a major driver of poverty. TB is an even larger problem than we knew, dangerous drug resistance is a growing threat, and a third of those sick with TB are not being effectively reached by health systems. The release of the Global Plan to End TB 2016-2020 could not come at a more important time.

The Global Plan sets out what needs to be done over the next five years to put the world on course to end the global TB epidemic. This includes a set of three new ambitious targets to reach and successfully treat 90% of the people suffering with TB, including the poorest and most vulnerable.

If fully funded and implemented, this ambitious new plan will save 10 million lives, ensure that 30 million people receive treatment, and prevent 45 million people from falling ill.

Unfortunately, the world still faces a significant funding gap in the fight against tuberculosis. New resources are essential to achieve the kind of progress and ambition laid out in the Global Plan released today. More funding is needed to expand the quality and reach of TB programs to get to every patient, and to address the unique challenges of different countries and regions. Increased funding is also critical to support research and development for urgently needed new diagnostics, drugs, and an effective vaccine.

Next year, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – which provides about 80 percent of all donor resources for TB — will need to be replenished in order to continue its critical work. The replenishment campaign will be the first test of the world’s commitment to making the Global Plan to End TB a reality. U.S. and other donor political leadership and ambitious financial commitment are needed to ensure a fully funded Global Fund.

In addition, the White House’s promised action plan on drug-resistant TB is now overdue. We cannot afford to wait any longer for that plan or the resources required to make it successful.

TB persists as a disease of poverty because we as an international community have allowed it. This is unacceptable. The Global Plan to End TB is a blueprint for how we can actually end this scourge in our lifetime.

About RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund:

RESULTS and RESULTS Educational Fund are sister organizations that, together, are a leading force in ending poverty in the United States and around the world. We create long-term solutions to poverty by supporting programs that address its root causes — lack of access to health, education, or opportunity to move up the economic ladder. We empower ordinary people to become extraordinary voices for the end of poverty in their communities, the media, and the halls of government. The collective voices of these passionate grassroots activists leverage millions of dollars for programs and improved policies that give low-income people the tools they need to move out of poverty.

Contact:

Colin Smith
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