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Letter to the Editor: World TB Day should be a wake up call

Thursday, March 24th was World Tuberculosis Day, commemorating the approximately 1.5 million people killed by the disease each year. In twenty years, global efforts to eradicate tuberculosis and other preventable diseases, led by groups like the Global Fund, have made enormous progress. The Global Fund alone has saved 44 million lives since 2002. 

That progress is now in jeopardy.  When the world shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19, it disrupted access to diagnostics and treatments for tuberculosis. One million fewer people were treated for tuberculosis in 2020 than in 2019 and, for the first time in a decade, annual tuberculosis deaths rose. 

This must serve as a wake up call. Members of Congress, including Congressman Brett Guthrie, Senator Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul and the Kentucky congressional delegation, must go on the record in support of a $2 billion per year pledge from the US at the Global Fund replenishment conference this year so it can continue its vitally important work. 

2022 can be the year we end COVID-19 once and for all but it must also be the year we get the world back on track to end tuberculosis and other preventable diseases by ensuring everyone, everywhere has access to lifesaving tests and treatments. 

Thank you for your time and consideration, Jemal Wade Hines, ONE Campaign, Morgantown KY

 

 

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