With Sunday marking World TB Day, the UK Government has announced that a funding boost will be given to a programme that supports the testing of new approaches to diagnose and treat Tuberculosis.
The disease kills at least 1.3 million people every year on average, with that being more than any other infectious disease, and the UN has committed to ending TB by 2030 as one of its Sustainable Development Goals. Funding of £4 million is being allocated to the TB REACH programme, with the aim of detecting cases of TB in 37,000 people and providing health services to more than 500,000 people. This also has the potential to save more than 15,000 lives.
As part of the UK’s Global Fund Accelerator, TB REACH will allow more organisations to test out new, innovative approaches that will combat antimicrobial resistance, whilst also strengthening health systems. Some of the other projects that are being supported by the UK through the programme include:
- Brazil, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia, and Pakistan – Boosting TB preventative treatment
- Papua New Guinea and Afghanistan – Tackling rising numbers of TB in pregnant and post-partum women by integrating TB screening and services into maternal health services.
Andrew Mitchell, the UK’s Minister for Development and Africa, commented:
“TB is a devastating yet eminently preventable disease. The UK has been at the forefront of work to rid the world of it, alongside our partners, and TB REACH will help discover even better ways of detecting and treating the disease, so that people no longer suffer needlessly.
“It is possible to end TB in our lifetime – we must make every effort to do so.”
This funding is another part of the UK’s commitment to fighting TB, with previous investment including the £1 billion that was given to the Global Fund in 2022. This provides care for 1.1 million people, with 20 million people benefitting from screening. 41,800 people also went through treatment for multidrug-resistant TB.
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