Leprosy mailing
list – March 26th, 2005
Ccn: all.
Ref.: World
TB day 2005.
From:
C R Revankar
, Los Angeles, USA.
Dear Dr. Noto,
I am copying below the message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on
the occasion of World TB Day, circulated by Stop-TB (stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org).
LML members are discussing on several issues which are still to be
addressed after achieving leprosy elimination, human right issues,
dwindling funds for leprosy work etc. Such messages have their impact
in resource mobilization, drawing the attention of policy
makers, donor agencies etc.
Can we get such message from UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during
Anti-Leprosy day in 2006?
Regards,
Dr. CR Revankar.MD,DPH
Los
Angeles
Email:
revankarcr@gmail.com,
drrevankar50@vsnl.com
_______________________________________________________________
UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan
Message on World TB Day
24 March 2005
*************
Five thousand
people die from tuberculosis every day, although the disease is both
preventable and curable. Clearly, we must work harder if we are to
achieve, by 2015, the Millennium Development Goal of halting and
beginning to reverse the spread of TB as one of the world's major
diseases. Thanks to a massive scale-up of the DOTS strategy for TB
control recommended by the World Health Organization, with 17 million
persons treated in nine years, our prospects for reaching the goal
have improved greatly.
WHO reports that eight in 10 patients are successfully treated under
DOTS programmes, and that 45 per cent of infectious patients were
treated in 2003 -- up from 28 per cent in 2000. But huge obstacles
remain, particularly in
Africa
-- in the form of weak health systems, a depleted health workforce,
and an HIV/AIDS epidemic that is driving TB. As Nelson Mandela said,
"We cannot win the battle against AIDS if we do not also fight
TB. TB is too often a death sentence for people with AIDS." I
urge African leaders to make the fight against both diseases a
priority.
The Stop TB Partnership, with its 350 partner governments and
organizations, is making a difference by forging consensus on
strategies, coordinated responses, mechanisms for quality drug supply,
and action for new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines. Governments,
bilateral agencies, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and
the World Bank are providing more resources. Still, to achieve
worldwide impact, more is needed. And we must provide greater support
for the increasingly wide range of caregivers who help find people ill
with TB and assist them with treatment. These providers include not
just public health doctors and nurses, but also community leaders,
former patients, women's groups, and many others.
Such broad mobilization is our strongest weapon in the fight against
the disease. On this world TB Day, let us rededicate ourselves to that
mission.
Kofi
A. Annan
Source: http://www.stoptb.org/WTBD2005/kannan.asp
