Photo for illustration (Source: VNA)

Kidong Park, representative of the WHO to Vietnam, used the occasion to invite Deputy PM Dam, who is also head of the National Committee on Tuberculosis Prevention and Control, to engage in this year’s global campaign for World TB Day.

The theme of World TB Day 2021 is “The clock is ticking”, which conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to tackle TB and act on its commitments to eradicate the disease.

The WHO is therefore urging all countries to carry out 10 priority recommendations which can successfully put the world on track to reach the targets set for 2022 and beyond.

This is especially critical in the context of the global spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has put the goal of ending TB at risk. In addition, it will also ensure equitable access to prevention and care in line with the WHO’s drive towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.

According to details released by the WHO, TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious killer. Indeed, each day sees over 4,000 people lose their lives to TB whilst approximately 30,000 people also fall ill with this preventable and curable disease.

In an effort to fight the disease, world leaders came together in 2015 to commit to ending the global TB epidemic by 2030, whilst also reaffirming their commitments to fighting the disease at the UN General Assembly’s High-level Meeting on Fight to End TB held in 2018.

This push is anticipated to see around 40 million people globally provided with access in order to diagnosis and treat the disease by 2022.

Various Heads of State and Governments have therefore pledged to mobilise sufficient and sustainable financing from all sources for universal access as part of quality TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. They aim to increase overall global investments for the cause of ending TB to at least US$13 billion annually by 2022.

Most notably, the country has greatly progressed in reducing its TB burden, with the number of new cases in 2020 falling 3.1% from 170,000 compared to the previous year./.

BTA