UN chief urges intensified efforts to end tuberculosis by 2035

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday called for intensified efforts toward the end of tuberculosis by 2035.

"With some 37 million lives saved between 2000 and 2013 through the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis," it is possible to end by 2035 this epidemic that "continues to bring suffering to so many families worldwide," Ban said in his message for the World Tuberculosis Day, observed each year on March 24.

"Victory is not guaranteed," he warned, urging different governments, communities affected by tuberculosis, and health workers around the world to "intensify their efforts" in line with the ambitious strategy established by the World Health Assembly in 2014 to end the global epidemic within two decades.

In May 2014, governments agreed in Geneva, Switzerland, on a new post-2015 Global TB Strategy to end the tuberculosis epidemic worldwide. The 20-year (2016-2035) strategy of the World Health Organization outlines clear actions and targets that provide a pathway to a world free of tuberculosis deaths and suffering.

Tuberculosis, or TB, is one of the world's top infectious diseases. According to UN figures, approximately 9 million people fell ill from it in 2013, and 1.5 million died. TB's impact is felt acutely by the most vulnerable populations, including those struggling with poverty and poor health systems.

For children, prisoners, migrants and those living with HIV, TB remains the most common form of illness and the leading cause of death.

While reminding governments and communities that "this is no time for complacency," Ban said that efforts must "begin now" to ensure the effective global roll-out of the End TB strategy and to stimulate the research that will underpin its success.

"On this World Tuberculosis Day, let us celebrate the achievements of the past fifteen years by recommitting to end the scourge of TB everywhere by 2035," said Ban. Endite