As countries marked World Tuberculosis Day, WHO called for “global solidarity and action” to support a new 20-year strategy aimed at ending the global tuberculosis epidemic.
WHO’s ‘End TB Strategy’ is designed to drive action in three key areas: integrated patient-centred TB care and prevention for all in need, including children; bold policies and supportive systems; and intensified research and innovation.
The strategy sets ambitious targets of a 95% reduction in TB deaths and a 90% reduction in cases of TB by 2035. An important milestone to be reached within the next five years (2020) is the elimination of catastrophic costs for TB patients and their families, by making care more accessible and through financial protection schemes to minimise medical and non-medical costs as well as income loss. 2015 is seen as a critical year for action to adapt and roll out the strategy in diverse country settings.
An overview of the ‘End TB Strategy’ is published in The Lancet: www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PII S0140-6736(15)60570-0.pdf
