Harness the multisectoral response to COVID-19 to galvanise and strengthen ongoing multisectoral engagement and action to combat TB, including social protection for people affected by TB, with high level government leadership and active involvement of civil society, affected communities, partners and other stakeholders.
This, in particular, is called for WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom and WHO Civil Society Task Force on Tuberculosis (CSTF-TB) as part of the Joint Statement on of urgent action to avoid preventable deaths and suffering from tuberculosis and recovering gains lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Joint Statement also says about the need:
☝ restore access to essential TB services,
☝ systematically monitor, promptly analyse and address the impact of COVID-19,
☝ leverage domestic and external financial resources,
☝ fully engage affected TB-affected communities and civil society organizations in the response,
☝ intensify research and development in TB sphere.
The members of CSTF-TB joined the WHO Director- General in this call for urgent action, noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted access to TB services and is reversing the gains made towards ending TB. Latest data collected by WHO from more than 80 countries data indicates that 1.4 million fewer people received care for TB in 2020 than in 2019, a 21% drop in TB notifications over this period. This could lead to an additional half a million TB deaths. Global extreme poverty will rise for the first time in over 20 years, according to the World Bank, thereby causing significant increase in undernourishment, a major determinant of TB. This will therefore lead to more suffering and death due to TB if appropriate action is not taken now.
Full text of this Joint statement, with urge governments, partners and stakeholders, accepted April 30, 2021, can be downloaded here 👉https://who.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f093a7c38a3780cd9504f8d9d&id=41d3b3693d&e=2d6e543835