a new commitment to tackling TB

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, which is becoming more resistant to our best treatments. In September, the United Nations is holding a ‘’High-Level Meeting” (HLM) on “antimicrobial resistance” (AMR), an increasingly serious health threat. This will be an important opportunity for the new UK Government to address the growing challenge of drug-resistant TB.

what

TB is becoming increasingly drug-resistant and hard to treat

who

The new Government must play a strong part in global efforts to tackle drug-resistant TB

how

Ask Development Minister Anneliese Dodds MP to take action at the United Nations in September

what’s the problem and what needs to happen?

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease caused by bacteria that affect the lungs, but it can occur in any part of the body. Some forms of TB become resistant to the drugs designed to treat them. Drug-resistant TB (DR-TB) is a form of ‘antimicrobial resistance’ (AMR). On 26 September, the UN will hold a High-Level Meeting on AMR at its General Assembly in New York– a vital moment to address the role of DR-TB in the global AMR threat.

The HLM will be one of the first major international events that the new Government will be attending, and it is vital that the UK is represented at the most senior levels. We expect that the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary will attend, but it will also be important for the new Minister for Development to attend, given the importance of tackling AMR for global health security.

key facts about drug-resistant TB and AMR

In 2022 there were around 410,000 cases of drug-resistant TB globally, with only 20% of people accessing treatment. Early and accurate diagnosis of TB and drug-resistant TB can ensure that treatments are effective.

A UN High-Level Meeting on TB in September 2023 set out the global targets and commitments for tackling TB by Member States, including a commitment to ensure universal, equitable and affordable access to diagnostics and drugs for DR-TB.

One-third of all deaths caused by antimicrobial resistant infections are due to DR-TB. Drug-resistant forms of TB are difficult to treat and require extensive drug treatments with toxic side effects including blindness, nausea and continuous fatigue. Governments must fund research and development (R&D) into the new vaccines, diagnostics and medicines that will be needed to reduce deaths from AMR. A new TB vaccine would be one of the best tools for stopping the spread of DR-TB and thereby reducing AMR.

TB is one of many pathogens that is at increased risk of becoming resistant to modern medicines. AMR occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites become resistant to the antimicrobial treatments used to treat them. AMR is one of the top 10 threats to global public health, resulting in 5 million deaths each year. This number is set to double by 2050, costing the global economy over US $3 trillion and pushing more people into poverty. In addition, AMR is challenging the development of resilient health systems and progress towards universal health coverage.

how you can help

Please welcome the new Minister for Development, Anneliese Dodds MP, to her role, and encourage her to attend the upcoming UN High-Level Meeting on AMR.

Address: Anneliese Dodds MP, Minister for Development, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AH.

Email: [email protected]

reasons why the Minister should take action

The UK has a strong track record of global health R&D and some of the world’s best universities and research centres. As such, the UK has a leading role to play in helping to bring about an end to TB and reduce the AMR risk.
The new Minister for Development should be very interested in global health R&D. She represents a parliamentary constituency (Oxford East) with a significant research and academic base, including facilities where world-leading global health research takes place every day.
The reduction of the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of Gross National Income, alongside the closing of the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2020, diminished the UK’s reputation for its commitment to international development. The HLM and the UN General Assembly provide the new Government with a perfect opportunity to reverse this trend.

what campaigners have already accomplished on TB

For many years, Results grassroots advocates have played a big part in gaining long-term, cross-party support for action to end TB, including alerting politicians to the increasing threat of drug-resistance. We’ve raised this issue at the G7, G20 and the UN, as well as campaigned to raise millions of pounds for the Global Fund to Fight HIV, TB and Malaria.

Many Results campaigners helped persuade the last Government to prioritise global health R&D, and earlier this year gained a written commitment to taking AMR seriously. Thank you for your efforts! We now need to get the new Government to push forward on this important topic.

take action!

Read about the growing problem of drug-resistant TB and AMR

Write to Development Minister Anneliese Dodds MP, urging the Government to take action on AMR this September

I took action!

we’re here to support you!

If you have any questions or need support or advice in writing your letter, please contact Naveed Chaudhri, Head of Campaigns, at [email protected].

glossary

AMR – Antimicrobial resistance

DR-TB – Drug-resistant Tuberculosis

HLM – High Level Meeting. The United Nations regularly calls these special meetings to increase awareness and action on specific global challenges such as public health threats.

TB – Tuberculosis

UN – United Nations

WHO – World Health Organization

stigma kills

TB was declared a public health emergency over 30 years ago by the World Health Organization, but the political response in responding to TB as an emergency has not been forthcoming. Competing demands on government budgets and ongoing crises and conflicts around the world continue to dominate the agenda, as poverty and global health crises continue to escalate. A lack of foresight on how to invest in global health is a conscious choice taken by governments, the consequence of which is felt by the poorest communities across the world.

Read more about the political and economic case for ending TB in our recent report, Stigma Kills.