World TB Day 2007 Toolkit

"TB anywhere is TB everywhere"

Message from Stop TB Partnership

"TB anywhere is TB everywhere" is the theme for 2007 World TB Day, March 24th, offering a message of urgency and shared responsibility. Through unified action on all levels, we can work towards a world finally free of tuberculosis.

The 2007 theme TB ANYWHERE IS TB EVERYWHERE emphasizes that although TB is a preventable and curable disease, it remains a global emergency. The theme reflects the chronically inadequate investment in TB control, surveillance, research and development as well as TB's deadly synergy with HIV.

The 2007 theme addresses the challenges to endemic country TB programme performance that affect TB control progress on a global scale. Achieving the TB-focused targets of the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals depends on effectively raising and addressing country-level challenges through a unified global campaign.

In 2007, the World Health Organization will report on whether the 2005 global TB control targets of 70% case detection and 85% treatment success have been achieved. Fifty countries reportedly have met the 70% detection target and approximately 25 countries have met both targets. This success represents a major landmark in TB control history and proves that TB control is effective, even in countries with limited resources. The predicted global average treatment success rate of 84% in 2005 is undeniably good, and the case detection rate is likely to be 60% in 2005.

However, 2 million or so active TB cases that occur each year are being missed. To help overcome the challenges that keep TB a global threat, there is an urgent need to push for full funding of the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015) and work for implementation of the Stop TB Strategy. It is time for all governments and the donor community to meet their full responsibility to Stop TB, and for decision-makers to stand alongside people and communities affected by TB.

The World TB Day theme includes a number of supporting messages which are designed to emphasize the importance of: Improved endemic country financial contributions to TB control; Community involvement; Scale up of donor investment; and The need for decision-makers to protect communities from the threat of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) and HIV-related TB.

A strong global campaign depends on consistent delivery of cohesive messaging. Each of the supporting messages developed to address the above issues intentionally includes the "Stop TB" phrase, so that each can work as a "stand-alone" message with the TB ANYWHERE IS TB EVERYWHERE theme.

Supporting messages with the main theme

Invest now to Stop TB
People can Stop TB
Pay for research now to Stop TB
Respond to threats to Stop TB

1. Invest now to Stop TB through intensive, immediate and generous investment from governments, multilateral agencies, foundations, businesses and individuals.

2. People who are vulnerable to TB are the best-placed to talk about the challenges they face on a daily basis and how to improve TB programmes from their perspective. A key component of the Global Plan to Stop TB and the Stop TB Strategy is to empower people with TB, and affected communities. Giving explicit priority to community participation in TB diagnosis and care reinforces that commitment, and is consistent with the Patient's Charter for Tuberculosis Care and the 'Call to Stop TB'.

3. Pay for research now to Stop TB Effective TB drugs, diagnostics and vaccines are essential in the fight against TB. We must protect populations by ensuring we provide them with the best solutions possible. That is why meeting the funding gap for TB research and development is essential to provide us with new and more effective tools.

4. Respond to threats to Stop TB XDR-TB: Drug-resistant TB poses a grave global public health threat, especially in populations with high rates of HIV. XDR-TB requires an immediate and urgent global and country response to ensure TB control is strengthened. Drug-resistant TB occurs primarily as a result of under funded, weak health systems leading to poor TB control programmes.

Every effort must be made to fully fund TB programmes and support the implementation of the Stop TB Strategy, which will prevent the emergence of drug resistance and care for those already affected. Substantial new investment in the development of new TB diagnostics, drugs and vaccines is fundamental to ensure that we will continue to have the capacity to protect those at risk of XDR-TB infection and cure those affected with XDR-TB. TB/HIV:

Current global efforts to improve access to effective HIV treatment, including the scale-up of anti-retroviral therapy, will be considerably reduced in their impact if we do not reverse the spread of TB. TB is a leading killer of people living with HIV, and causes up to half of all HIV-related deaths in hard hit settings. HIV is the primary reason for increasing global TB rates particularly through its effect in sub-Saharan Africa. This has led African Health Ministers in 2005 to declare TB an emergency across the continent. We can save lives NOW through collaborative TB/HIV activities and strengthened TB control.

 

Documents to help plan your WTBD activities

http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2007/materials.asp

MDR TB Guidelines
http://www.stoptb.org/resource_center/assets/documents/tb_guidelines.pdf

Global map and information on XDR-TB
http://www.who.int/entity/tb/xdr/xdrmap_feb_en.pdf

WHO factsheet no. 104 - Tuberculosis
http://www.who.int/entity/mediacentre/factsheets/fs104/en/index.html http://www.who.int/entity/tb/publications/2006/tb_factsheet_2006_1_en.pdf

Frequently asked questions - XDR-TB
http://www.who.int/tb/xdr/faqs/en/index.html http://www.who.int/entity/tb/xdr/faq_en.pdf

Advocacy, communication and social mobilization to fight TB
http://www.stoptb.org/resource_center/assets/documents/TB-ADVOCACY.pdf

Stop TB eForum Report published by Health and Development Networks
http://www.stoptb.org/resource_center/assets/documents/TB_Corr.pdf

Patients charter for tuberculosis care
http://www.stoptb.org/resource_center/assets/documents/istc_charter.pdf

Management of collaborative TB/HIV activities
http://www.who.int/tb/publications/who_htm_tb_2005_359/en/index.html

Strategic Vision document of Revised National TB Control Programme-India
http://www.tbcindia.org/pdfs/Strategic%20Vision%20for%20the%20country%202005-2015%20%20Final.pdf

Previous World TB Days
http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/

WTBD 2006 Toolkit
http://healthinitiative.org/html/tb/2k6/index.htm

Useful Links

World TB Day 2008 web site
http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2007/default.asp

Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme
http://www.tbcindia.org/

Centers for Disease Control & PreventionNational Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention,
http://www.cdc.gov/nchstp/tb/WorldTBDay/2006/introduction.htm

Stop TB partnership
http://www.stoptb.org/

World Health Organisation, Tuberculosis Home Page
http://www.who.int/tb/en/

AIDS Care Watch Campaign
http://www.aidscarewatch.org/