The Union Zimbabwe Trust Statement on World TB Day 2021

The Union Zimbabwe Trust Statement on World TB Day 2021

“A Call to deliver on our commitment to End TB”

According to the World Health Organisation, in 2019 an estimated 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide (5.6 million men, 3.2 million women and 1.2 million children). As the Union Zimbabwe Trust (UZT), we join the rest of the world in commemorating World TB day, deeply concerned that every minute, three lives are lost globally from a curable disease. Important to note is that Zimbabwe is among the 30 high TB burden countries contributing close to 90% of global TB burden each year.

The theme of this year’s commemoration, ‘The Clock is Ticking’ conveys a sense of urgency, that time is running out to deliver on our commitments. The clarion call is louder than before, particularly in the context of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, threatening to unwind the gains made over the years. Although a setback to our efforts, we cannot allow it to become an excuse to let down our guard in this fight.

In 2018, Heads of State and other leaders made bold commitments to accelerate the global response to TB. Those commitments have offered hope for ending the carnage and needless suffering of millions worldwide from both a preventable and treatable disease. While we note the significant strides made as a country in this fight over the years, we remain unsettled that we had close to a third of TB cases undetected in 2019, fuelling and sustaining community transmission. Finding those missed cases must remain an area of priority focus.

As UZT and our coalition of partners, we remain indebted to the funding support, particularly from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Global Fund, that has made it possible for us to meaningfully contribute to this fight. Special mention to the Kunda-Nqob’iTB, a 5-year program through USAID, that has seen investment in a comprehensive package of services in four high burden priority districts in the first year of 2020, contributing to detection of 1,553 TB cases.

As we commemorate this important day as a country, may we take stock of where we stand on our commitment, and re-collect our resolve to deliver against all odds. We remain indebted to the Government of Zimbabwe for providing the enabling environment to make it happen.  Ending TB cannot just be the job for government, everyone has a stake in this fight. We can only achieve more together.

We commend the Ministry of Health and Childcare for being responsive to the ever-changing landscape, and hosting this year’s commemorations virtually in line with the demands to enforce COVID 19 preventive measures.

Follow us on Twitter (@UnionZimTrust) and Facebook (The Union Zimbabwe Trust) for updates on this year’s commemorations.

#WorldTBDay21!

 

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