As the world observe Monday (today) as the World Tuberculosis Day to create public awareness about tuberculosis, the World Health Organisation has identified the lethal combination of TB and HIV as a major threat to continued progress in the eradication of the disease.
This combination, the organisation said, was fuelling the TB epidemic in many parts of the world, especially Africa.
The WHO made the observation in its 12th annual report on global TB control, �Global Tuberculosis Control 2008,� a copy of which was made available to our correspondents on Sunday.
The report is based on data given to the WHO by 202 countries and territories report.
The report said that although TB/HIV remain a massive challenge, some countries were making strides against the co-epidemic.
It revealed that almost 700, 000 TB patients were tested for HIV in 2006, the most recent year for which data were available, up from 22, 000 in 2002 – a sign of progress but still far from the 2006 target of 1.6 million set by the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015.
The three African countries achieving the highest HIV testing rates in TB care in 2006, according to the report, were Rwanda (76%), Malawi (64%) and Kenya (60%).
�The report tells us that we are far from providing universal access to high-quality prevention, diagnostic, treatment and care services for HIV and TB,� said the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr. Peter Piot.
Although he agreed that clear progress had been made, Piot said all stakeholders must do more to make a joint approach to reducing TB deaths among people with HIV a reality.
Another threat to the disease�s eradication, according to the organisation, is the multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), reported by WHO in February to have reached the highest level ever recorded.
The organisation said that till date, the response to this epidemic had been inadequate.
It said that given limited laboratory and treatment capacity, countries projected they will provide treatment only to an estimated 10 per cent of people with MDR-TB worldwide in 2008.
The report also documented a shortage in funding.
It said that despite an increase in resources, especially from the Global Fund and some middle-income countries, TB budgets were projected to remain flat in 2008 in almost all of the countries most heavily burdened by the disease. 90 countries in which 91 per cent of the world�s TB cases occur provided complete financial data for the report.
To meet the 2008 targets of the Global Plan to Stop TB, the report said the funding shortfall for these 90 countries was about $1bn.
�We look forward to working with all partners to further assist countries to achieve TB targets for 2015 and beyond,� said the Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Dr. Michel Kazatchkine.
In recognition of World TB Day, former President of Portugal and the UN Secretary-General�s Special Envoy to Stop TB, Dr. Jorge Sampaio, called for enhanced leadership to address TB/HIV.