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World TB Day 2012

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Stop TB in my Lifetime

World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, 24 March 2012

World TB Day was commemorated on 24 March 2012 across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with renewed commitment and enthusiasm to save lives from a preventable and curable disease. Elaborate activities were planned by ministries of health, civil society, tuberculosis patients, celebrities and the media across 23 countries of the Region, from Afghanistan to Morocco.

The slogan of the Day “Stop TB in my lifetime” reflects the desire of every individual to see an end to this disease, which although centuries old, is easily preventable and treatable. The Day also urges action on the neglected area of childhood TB. In his message for the Day, Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, expressed his appreciation of the hard work of everyone involved in the fight against the disease. Countries have been successful in detecting a greater number of cases; expanding care for multidrug-resistant TB, a more complex form of the disease; and achieving progress towards the targets of the Millennium Development Goals through innovative partnerships. However, Dr Alwan also warned of the threats facing tuberculosis control as a result of reduced funding from donors, such as the Global Fund. 

Dr Raviglione, Director of the WHO Stop TB programme, praised global progress in TB control citing an overall reduction in mortality of 40% compared to 1990 rates and the millions of lives that had been saved. Unfortunately, to a large extent, children have been left behind and childhood TB remains a hidden epidemic in most countries. Dr Ravigione said it was time to act and address the problem of childhood TB everywhere.

In his statement on the occasion of World TB Day, Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, highlighted TB as a neglected disease which had caused much suffering and was yet to be controlled. The Secretary General stressed the importance of access to TB treatment to prevent and eliminate the disease and called for intensified global action. Letters were sent by the Secretary General to all Heads of State of the 22 high-burden countries in the world, including Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, calling for renewed attention and commitment to TB control.

Countries in the Region will be conducting activities based on accelerated action in the care of childhood TB. Activities include: the gathering of more than 300 cured TB patients in one of the major cities of Afghanistan to advocate for TB treatment; a celebration in Pakistan of the more than 1.2 million TB patients cured in recent years; the organization of gala events in Egypt by university students in schools; the conducting of innovative awareness-raising activities for a week in Kuwait by university students; the reorienting and training of primary health care workers in Oman; the holding of sports and school activities in Yemen; the presentation of certificates of recognition of the best workers in TB care; and in Sudan the strong support of Sudan’s first lady to programme activities.

Regional Director's message Arabic | English | French

Advocacy materials

Country activity

Afghanistan

Health authorities call for continued support for tuberculosis (TB) control

WHO and the Afghanistan Stop TB Partnership are highlighting the need for studies to explore why Afghanistan is the world’s only country with higher rates of TB among women than men. About 66% of new cases are among women. This was one of the key messages coming out of the “Stop TB in my lifetime” conference held on 3 April, 2012, in Kabul to mark World Tuberculosis Day. The conference brought together some of the country’s leading health officials, including Dr Surya Dalil, the Minister of Public Health, Dr Sima Samar, the Chair of the Stop TB Partnership and Dr Ahmed Farah Shadoul, the WHO Representative for Afghanistan. They discussed the scale of the problem of TB in the country and their strategy for arresting its spread. They also stressed the need for continued support for Afghans suffering from the disease.

“We know that with the right interventions we can make a major difference. We know how to end all forms of TB, including multi-drug resistant forms”, said Dr Ahmed Shadoul. “Where we have taken strong and proven measures, the number of people becoming severely ill from TB symptoms due to their neglect has declined markedly.” Despite years of efforts to eradicate TB, Afghanistan remains the country in the Region with the 22nd highest burden for that preventable disease. While official national figures under-represent the scale of the problem, WHO believes that each year nearly 53 000 Afghans contract the disease. Many of these cases are found in the south of the country. About 10 500 Afghans die from TB each year, at a rate of about 38 people per 100 000.

Official figures suggest about 650 Afghan children died last year from TB, of whom two thirds were girls. WHO believes that owing to misdiagnosis – the symptoms in children differ from those in adults -- nearly 10% of cases in Afghanistan are among children. This is another alarming figure that is out of step with the experiences of many TB-afflicted countries.

“We can guess at the reasons for the high rates of TB among women in Afghanistan, including early or underage marriage, successive births, anaemia, malnutrition, tough physical labour, working in smoky conditions, financial concerns and lack of access to health care”, said Dr Dalil.

Despite these alarming figures, speakers spoke of some progress in combating the disease. The percentage of the country’s population with access to directly observed treatment short-course (DOTS) has increased since 2002 from 14% to 97%. The number of health facilities applying the DOTS strategy has also increased, from 10 in 2000 to nearly 1200 in 2011. A second national strategic plan has also been extended until 2013.

The “Stop TB in my lifetime” campaign is an ongoing effort led by WHO to highlight the negative effects of TB on children.

Sudan

Sudan tells the world, Stop TB in this lifetime!



 

 


 

 

 

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