For World TB Day 2011, the IFRC has issued an advocacy report together with Stop TB partnership, Towards a tuberculosis-free world, whose call is to scale-up TB interventions at all levels.
This year's advocacy report challenges us to look at the fight against TB in a different way:
- From a public health perspective, what is needed is an accelerated increase in TB interventions, intensified case-finding among at risk populations, and a greater focus on upstream prevention.
- From a development perspective, a new focus is required that assesses interventions based on social and economic determinants such as malnutrition, gender inequalities, alcohol abuse, poor housing, low quality education, indoor air pollution and poverty.
- From a human rights perspective, TB patients need to live in dignity and with respect. We need to reach out to communities in order to prevent, treat, care and support all those either living with TB or at riskbeing infected with the disease.
The advocacy report focuses once again on Red Cross Red Crescent immense TB activities as an added value in many parts of the world. The idea is to recognize Red Cross Red Crescent staff and volunteers capacity to mobilize communities and empower people with TB. Such network should also be considered as a crucial connection to civil society and their respective governments. Governments and partners must capitalize on this to effectively banish TB.
Advocacy report March 2011:
Press releases:
Opinion piece:
News stories: