Motsoaledi celebrates world plan to fight world's biggest infectious killer, TB

30 November 2015 - 17:11 By Tanya Farber

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi‚ who heads up the Stop TB Partnership‚ today hailed as “unprecedented” a global plan endorsed by more than 600 MPs from 101 countries to combat the world's biggest infectious killer‚ tuberculosis. This new plan‚ called The Paradigm Shift‚ aims to end TB completely by 2030‚ starting with a bold new four-year strategy as of 2016.The plan aims to reach 90% of all people who need TB treatment‚ and to achieve at least 90% treatment success. It hopes to achieve this by‚ among others‚ investing more money into fighting the disease‚ universal health coverage‚ and fast-tracking the introduction of the latest diagnostic tools where they are most needed.With the current plan‚ it would take a staggering 180 years to eliminate what has become the world's biggest killer when it comes to infections. This is a real watershed moment for TB‚ and it's just before the start this week of the 46th Union World Lung Health conference in Cape Town.Nick Herbert‚ MP for the UK and co-chair of the Global TB Caucus‚ is in South Africa for the conference‚ which starts on Wednesday. “Tuberculosis has had few political champions and needs a stronger voice‚” he said. "The movement for this was formed in October last year and has grown astonishingly into a force of 635 members of parliament from 101 countries."- TMG Digital/The Times..

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