African Union World TB Day 2015
Reach the 1.3 Million in Africa. Find. Treat. Cure TB.
WORLD TB DAY MESSAGE BY HIS EXCELLENCY DR MUSTAPHA SIDIKI KALOKO THE COMMISSIONER FOR SOCIAL AFFAIRS, AFRICAN UNION COMMISSION
Today the African Union renews its clarion call for shared responsibility and global solidarity to end TB under the theme Reach the 1.3 Million in Africa. Find. Treat. Cure TB. Africa is committed to accelerate efforts towards zero TB deaths, zero new infections and zero stigma.
TB treatment success rate in Africa has continued to improve reaching 82% in 2012. The previously increasing incidence of TB has been halted and a decline observed as a result of several years of intensive implementation of global and continental efforts as well as the strengthening of TB/HIV collaborative activities.
With the Africa Health Strategy, Abuja Call and African Union Roadmap expiring in 2015 we have started a continent wide joint reflection process to review progress and to define a new African health framework. We are doing this visioning cognizant of new global health challenges that will need a new global health architecture to supersede the existing one and drive the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goal number three that addresses health.
We know that to end TB our Member States need to continue investing in health systems and community systems. We also know the importance of accelerating innovative domestic financing to ensure sustained and predictable funding. We continue to work with our countries to promote ongoing efforts on the continent to step up investments and ensure value for money in the TB response by investing in interventions with the highest impact at the lowest cost.
We take this opportunity of the global commemorations to call for renewed commitments by our Member States to step up efforts to implement the Abuja actions toward the elimination of tuberculosis in Africa by 2030. This includes ensuring that we address TB/HIV co-infection, scale-up technology for early diagnosis and maximize potential for effective access to medicines through local production.
We urge Member States to continue on the path to strengthen mechanisms to increase coverage and access to services for detection and treatment of TB, Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and TB in children and vulnerable populations. It is crucial that Governments maximize opportunities to diversify sources and increase domestic resource allocation for health to ensure sustainability of the response. We further urge our Member States to take action to support the 2016 replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria as a major contributor to Africa’s response.
This World TB Day we call for renewed efforts and action at all levels to ensure that no TB case goes undiagnosed, untreated or uncured. We join the world in reiterating the urgent need to fill the current funding gap of US$ 2 billion per year for TB interventions and the immediate need to fill the US$ 1.39 billion annual gap for research and development. We should all join efforts to remove access barriers to all recommended TB diagnostics and drugs and addressing TB and MDR-TB as global health security threats.
TB is everyone's concern. It is our shared responsibility to end it. Together we will reach the 1.3 Million people who need TB treatment in Africa. Let us Find Treat and Cure TB.