Until the COVID-19 pandemic, tuberculosis (TB) was the world’s deadliest airborne disease, killing 1.6 million people in 2021. Although progress towards eradicating the disease by 2030 has been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, a Global Plan exists to end TB.
To realise this plan and to achieve TB eradication by 2030, we need to put pressure on governments around the world to work together. In 2018, world leaders set ambitious targets and made promising commitments on funding, treatment and research and development to tackle the disease in what was the first and so far only United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB. This September, with TB services in many countries struggling to meet the needs of their populations, the UN will hold the second High-Level Meeting on TB to review progress. To start building momentum on our advocacy to end TB ahead of this important global meeting, and in the run up to World TB Day in March, join us in taking action to advocate to #EndTB.
On Friday 24 March, the world will commemorate World TB Day, which makes the next two months a perfect time to raise awareness of TB and to engage with your MP. This month, and into March, we’d like you to plan to meet with your MP to talk about the importance of tackling TB, encourage them to attend a discussion in Parliament in the run up to World TB Day, and to urge the Government to engage seriously with the High-Level Meeting in September and global efforts to eradicate the disease.Our Action Sheet guides you through four stages of action that you could take to help reinvigorate the fight against TB throughout February and March, and signposts you to additional information and guides.
Check out our action sheet here and our campaign guide on TB.
Catch up on the conference call here.