The high -level meeting is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an unprecedented step forward by governments and all partners participating in the fight against TB.
It comes one year from a ministerial conference on the end of TB held in Moscow last November, resulting in high -level commitments from ministers and other leaders from 120 countries to accelerate progress to end the disease.
Ms. Mohammed described TB as an “evil epidemic” that infects about 10.4 million people around the world and is driven by poverty, inequality, migration and conflict.
The disease, she added, is found in a “vicious cycle that requires an approach to all systems that account for the social drivers that perpetuate its spread.”
Better health and social welfare systems and more investments are needed to stop this global health crisis, and better tools are needed to overcome anti-microbial resistance: approximately 60,000 medicine direction cases on TB are reported every year.
Deputy Secretary -General called for an approach to end TB taking a system -enhancing approach, promoting the wider health and well -being throughout the communities and breaking out of “disease -specific silos and single targets.”
While TB affects all countries and continents, more than half of all new cases occur in only five countries: in some country-inclusive Mozambique, the Philippines and South Africa there are 500 cases per year. 100,000 people, while in high -income countries there are fewer than 10 per year. 100,000. Ms. Mohammed said there is a need for much more progress if the UN is to follow its promise to leave nobody.
However, progress is added, possible, if the efforts to end the epidemic are based on the best data and science, informed decisions, notified societies and strategic and well -funded action.
Ms. Mohammed said who will lead to cross-un-efforts to support governments, work with civil society and all partners to create a faster response to TB.
Only a week ago, on September 18, the WHO released its latest global tuberculosis report, which showed that countries are not doing enough to end TB and that funding is the most pressing tripping block.
The meeting was concluded with the adoption of an ambitious political statement of TB, approved by heads of state who are intended to strengthen the action and investment to end TB and save millions of lives.
