Thousands participated in this year's celebration of World TB Day in SudanKhartoum, 24 March 2013 – Thousands gathered today at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum to celebrate World TB Day 2013.
Led by the Sudanese TB Patients' Association, 25 community-based organizations, including the women's union, youth organizations, student organizations, the scouts, and representatives from the Sudanese army and police, marched along Nile Street carrying flags and placards with TB-related messages while chanting and singing songs about TB.
“The Government of Sudan fully supports the fight against tuberculosis,” Sudan's Vice-President AlHaj Adam said during the gathering. “We recognize the importance of strong partnerships with various organizations and agencies, both in the public and private sectors, to achieve our goal of making Sudan TB-free,” the Vice-President added.
“TB is not a shameful disease and everyone has to be reminded that it is curable,” Dr Isameldin Mohammed Abdalla, Under-Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Health, said during the celebration and he called on each and every Sudanese person to take part in their own little way to stop the stigma. Social stigma has been one of the hurdles in TB prevention in Sudan.
Supporters of the fight against TB gathered at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum to celebrate World TB Day 2013Dr Anshu Banerjee, WHO Representative in Sudan, emphasized the hard work, commitment and dedication of health workers, TB programme staff and their partners, from far-off villages in Darfur to the crowded city in Khartoum, saying “In Sudan, innovative partnerships have been developed between the public and private sectors, as well as with civil society, TB-affected communities, donors, business and the media.”
This year’s World TB Day is commemorated with the slogan “Stop TB in My Lifetime”. The message conveys both the urgency of the fight against TB, and the goal of reaching the 2015 target of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and the targets set by the global Stop TB Partnership.
WHO Representative in Sudan speech on World TB Day 2013
