Huffington Post: We Cannot Deny It Anymore. TB Is The New Global Health Emergency
Lucica Ditiu, executive secretary at the Stop TB Partnership

“…TB is the new global health emergency. … [I]n order to end TB, we need to fight a full-fledged war. And to win this, there are four things we must do: 1. Know Your Enemy … The TB programs and the partners should collect data, not ‘to report’ to global-level institutions, but to use the data for planning and monitoring their own interventions and work using real time data and new technology. 2. Prepare our weapons and strategies … We need a point of care test, a shorter non-toxic treatment for all forms of TB, and an effective vaccine. … 3. Create a strong and united army … It is time for all stakeholders from governments to grassroots organizations and people affected by TB to come together and be united to end TB. … 4. Have the commander lead the battle … We must all push to have a United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB in September 2017. Let’s all align ourselves to make this happen and win this battle” (10/13).

Huffington Post: 1.8 Million People Died From TB — It’s Time To Turn The Tide
Eric Goosby, U.N. secretary general’s special envoy on tuberculosis

“…To effectively turn the tide [against TB] we must focus our efforts on strengthening detection, improving diagnostics, and bringing more tolerable drugs to market. Most of all, we need the resources to take these steps. … Now more than ever, the world needs a concerted TB effort. We must reengage donors and donor nations and demonstrate how an investment in TB is an investment worth making. We must encourage countries plagued by TB to own and fund taking care of their own people. … We have made great progress in defeating AIDS and malaria, but our commitment to fighting TB has fallen far short. It is ironic that of the three major infectious diseases, the one that has a cure is the one left behind. Drug sensitive TB is curable almost 90 percent of the time with current treatments. We must turn the tide. We must break down barriers to accessing care. And we must fund efforts that will make our goals achievable…” (10/13).

Huffington Post: Why Is Multidrug-Resistant TB A Health Security Threat?
Ariel Pablos-Mendez, assistant administrator for global health at USAID; Mario Raviglione, director of the Global Tuberculosis Programme at WHO; and Eric Goosby, U.N. secretary general’s special envoy on tuberculosis

“…Global investments in TB research are critical to find better diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines. A necessary first step in combating [multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)] is strengthening the overall TB response, thus preventing the creation and spread of resistant TB. Current actions and investments are falling far short of those needed to end the TB epidemic. … TB kills more people than HIV and malaria. Yet, the response remains severely underfunded by most high-burden countries. … The United States has committed to bold objectives in the December 2015 release of the National Action Plan to Combat MDR-TB. … Leaders in … high-burden TB countries need to acknowledge the global risks of MDR-TB and take responsibility for collective tackling [of] it. … High-level attention to TB by the United Nations General Assembly is needed to ensure reaching global targets…” (10/13).