Global Fund and Stop TB strengthen cooperation within the fight against tuberculosis, the largest killer of infectious diseases – press releases

Global Fund and Stop TB increase cooperation to fight tuberculosis, the largest killer of infectious diseases

November 7, 2024

– The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the “Global Fund”) and the Stop TB Partnership signed yesterday a brand new framework for cooperation geared toward increasing the momentum for eliminating tuberculosis (TB) in low- and middle-income countries by 2030 r.

Tuberculosis, the oldest pandemic affecting humanity, is the leading killer of infectious diseases on the earth and one of the crucial common causes of death amongst people infected with HIV. The Global Fund provides 76% of all international TB funding, while the Stop TB Partnership brings together over 2,000 partner organizations world wide to steer global support, high-level political commitment to fight TB, support communities and other people affected by TB, address the rights and gender and introduce latest innovations and latest tools to eliminate tuberculosis.

“The Stop TB Partnership and the Global Fund share a common commitment and vision for a world free from TB, where universal health care is implemented and where the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are achieved,” said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership. “We see unprecedented determination and leadership in affected countries to defeat this terrible disease, we have many new innovations in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, and the most vibrant civil society, community networks and organizations, so we cannot and will not stop now . We lack the funds to keep going full steam ahead, but we won’t give up because we are closer than ever to making decisive progress by 2030.”

“Tuberculosis is a formidable enemy, but we can defeat it,” said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund. “New advances in TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment, including innovative tools such as mobile diagnostic units, artificial intelligence capabilities in screening and testing, and shorter treatment regimens, are redefining the way we fight TB now and in the future , bringing new hope. By working even closer with the Stop TB partnership, we will increase the use of these tools and achieve significant price reductions to sharpen our trajectory towards ending TB.”

Under the brand new four-year non-financial agreement, Global Fund and Stop TB commit to strengthening collaboration across a broad range of advocacy, policy, technical and programmatic areas. The top priority set out within the agreement is to support countries within the early diagnosis and treatment of all individuals with tuberculosis, including drug-resistant and drug-resistant tuberculosis, to proceed working to interrupt down the gender and human rights barriers that prevent people from having tuberculosis access the services they need. and addressing the stigma of tuberculosis.

Another key goal is to enhance preventive treatment for tuberculosis through improved access to reasonably priced, quality-assured medicines and diagnostics, in addition to by stimulating innovation and accelerating the introduction of latest products.

Under the brand new agreement, each organizations will even proceed to work to strengthen key elements of health systems in affected countries: supporting local medical experts, improving access to the most recent WHO-recommended diagnoses, higher using data in decision-making, strengthening supply chains and applying an integrated approach , including through primary health care, to enable the availability of key services to individuals with all types of tuberculosis.

The latest agreement comes after the most recent data published by the World Health Organization in 2013 Global Tuberculosis Report 2024 highlight the mixed progress in the worldwide fight against tuberculosis. Although TB ​​deaths are falling and access to treatment is increasing, challenges remain, including the rising incidence of tuberculosis, lack of progress in access to rapid molecular diagnostics and diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, and the impact of conflict, displacement, malnutrition, climate changes and poverty.