24/3/2006
Marking World TB Day, Annan Hails Plan to Save 14 Million Lives

In a message marking World Tuberculosis (TB) Day, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan called for maximum support for plans to treat an additional 50 million people and save 14 million lives over the next 10 years. “These forecasts are ambitious, but they are achievable – if everyone plays their part in supporting the Global Plan,” Mr. Annan said.

 He described how 'Actions for Life, the Global Plan to Stop TB, 2006-2015' offers a way to reach the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the incidence of TB which frequently afflicts the poorest of the poor. Mr. Annan explained there were currently many positive developments in TB control, but on the ground around the world the picture was mixed. Where countries invested in TB control there were fewer new cases each year. But this wasn't the case in Africa, the only continent where the number of cases continued to increase, and where extraordinary action was needed.