World leaders at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on tuberculosis have endorsed a political declaration setting ambitious new goals for the next five years to advance global efforts to end TB. the tuberculosis epidemic.
Targets include reaching 90% of people receiving TB prevention and care services, using a WHO-recommended rapid test as the first method of TB diagnosis; provide social benefits to all people with tuberculosis; authorize at least one new tuberculosis vaccine; and close funding gaps for TB implementation and research by 2027.
“For millennia our ancestors suffered and died from tuberculosis, without knowing what it was, what caused it or how to stop it,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Today we have knowledge and tools they could only have dreamed of. The political declaration approved today by countries and the targets they have set constitute a commitment to use these tools and to develop new ones, to write the last chapter in the history of tuberculosis.
Progress towards 2018 targets
Taking stock of progress towards the targets set in 2018 for a five-year period, WHO said that while global efforts to control TB have saved more than 75 million lives since 2000, they failed to achieve the targets, mainly due to serious disruptions in the fight against tuberculosis. Tuberculosis services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing conflicts. Only 34 million people out of a projected 40 million people with TB received treatment between 2018 and 2022. For preventive TB treatment, the picture was even bleaker, with only 15.5 million of the 30 million of targeted people who should benefit from preventive treatment having access to preventive treatment. he.
Funding for TB services in low- and middle-income countries has increased from US$6.4 billion in 2018 to US$5.8 billion in 2022, representing a 50% funding gap in implementation. implementing the required anti-tuberculosis programs. Annual funding for TB research ranged between US$0.9 billion and US$1.0 billion between 2018 and 2022, only half of the target set in 2018.
This has placed an even greater burden on those affected, especially the most vulnerable. Today, tuberculosis remains one of the leading infectious diseases that kill people in the world: Every year, more than 10 million people fall ill, and more than a million people lose their lives to this preventable and treatable disease. Drug-resistant tuberculosis continues to be a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance, with nearly half a million people developing drug-resistant tuberculosis each year.
“Bringing world leaders together to fight tuberculosis for the second time provides an opportunity to accelerate action and strengthen health systems capable of not only fighting the tuberculosis epidemic, but also to protect the health and well-being of communities as a whole, by strengthening pandemic preparedness. and building on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Global TB Program. “Avoiding TB-related financial hardship and preventing the spread of the disease in vulnerable groups will help reduce inequalities within and between countries, thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. »
TB incidence and deaths increased between 2020 and 2021, but coordinated efforts by countries, WHO and partners are leading to a resumption of essential services.
Tuberculosis Vaccine Acceleration Council Launched
On the eve of this historic meeting, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, officially launched the Tuberculosis Vaccine Acceleration Council facilitate the development, registration and use of new anti-tuberculosis vaccines. The Council, supported by the WHO secretariat, will be led by a nine-member ministerial council who will serve in rotation for a two-year term. The Council will also have subsidiary bodies to support its interaction and engagement with different sectors and broader stakeholders, including the private sector, scientists, philanthropy and civil society.
BCG is currently the only authorized tuberculosis vaccine. Although it offers moderate effectiveness in preventing severe forms of tuberculosis in infants and young children, it does not sufficiently protect adolescents and adults, who account for the majority (>90%) of tuberculosis transmission in the world.
The Council aims to identify innovative sustainable financing, market solutions and partnerships across the public, private and philanthropic sectors. It will build on platforms such as the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa), the G20, G7 and others to strengthen commitment and action towards the development and development of a new TB vaccine. to access.
