Yes! We can end TB!
The theme of World TB Day 2024, "Yes! We can end TB!", conveys a message of hope that it is possible to change the trajectory of the tuberculosis epidemic through high-level leadership, increased investments, faster adoption of new recommendations from PAHO/WHO, adoption of innovations, accelerated action, and multisectoral collaboration.
Eliminating tuberculosis by 2030 is one of the Sustainable Development Goals, which has become a challenge amidst a pandemic. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically increased awareness of the importance of health for social, economic, and political stability and has accelerated the adoption of innovations in health service delivery, creating unique opportunities to increase the resilience of health systems in the face of current and future crises. It is one of the 30 communicable diseases included in PAHO's Initiative for the Elimination of Diseases in the Americas, a region that has already achieved previous successes in disease elimination.
A special focus will be placed on the call to action with partners, urging member states to accelerate the implementation of new diagnostic methods, shortened and oral treatment regimens recommended by PAHO/WHO for drug-resistant tuberculosis, and innovative case-finding strategies.
Press Release: PAHO urges adoption of innovative technologies and treatments to eliminate tuberculosis
Key Messages
High level leadership and action to end TB +
2024 is the year to shine a spotlight on ending TB and the suffering it causes to millions, and to call for comprehensive and universal care for those affected. The 2023 UN High Level Meeting on TB at the General Assembly in September that will bring together Heads of State, provides the opportunity to mobilize political and social commitment to ramp up progress against this ancient disease. It is our collective responsibility to confront inequalities and put an end to this preventable and curable disease.
So far, the focus on TB elimination has been on low-burden countries; however, it is necessary to redouble efforts for TB elimination in the Region of the Americas, mainly focusing on criteria to assess countries' efforts on the pathway to elimination, considering the region's significant heterogeneity where countries in pre-elimination and high-burden situations coexist. Therefore, adaptation of global strategies to the region's diverse needs and realities is necessary, but it also requires each country's adaptation efforts to its own reality.
Ending TB requires concerted action by all sectors +
to provide the right services, support and enabling safe environment in the right place, at the right time. TB is mainly concentrated in settings beset by poverty and other social and economic challenges and in the most vulnerable populations. Poverty, undernourishment, poor living and working conditions, among others, affect how people fall ill, develop TB and cope with the demands of treatment (including medical, financial, and social), and influence the health outcomes they face. Thus, progress in combating TB and its drivers cannot be achieved by the health system alone and requires firm political commitment at the highest level, strong multisectoral collaboration (beyond health), and an effective accountability system.
Increased investments to support the implementation of TB preventive treatment options recommended by PAHO/WHO, shortened treatment regimens, rapid molecular diagnostics, and tests for TB infection, among other innovations and digital tools, will lead to improvements in health outcomes and save millions of lives. It is important to emphasize that investments in research and innovation are vital to accelerate efforts to achieve TB elimination goals.
Tackling health inequities to ensure health for all. +
Deep inequalities persist between and within countries in the region. People with TB are among the most marginalized and vulnerable, facing barriers to accessing quality care and treatment. PAHO/WHO is calling for global action to address health inequalities for people with TB and other diseases.
Opportunities and Challenges Towards Tuberculosis Elimination in the Americas
Date: Monday, 25 March 2024
Time: 10:30 am - 12:00 pm (EDT)
Platform: Zoom
PAHO seeks to end
more than 30
communicable diseases
and related conditions by 2030
