Increasing national actions to end Tuberculosis

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 Today we commemorated World TB Day.


[Images from SAYWHAT pages]

 Back in the 1800s, Robert Koch discovered mycobacterium tuberculosis, a bacteria which causes tuberculosis (TB) on this day. TB aka consumption is a deadly disease which claim the lives of more than a million people each year! The number one cause of death amongst people living with HIV is TB. Now it is interesting that TB has been around for ages! Some scientists have found TB caused deterioration on some bones of Egyptian mummies. You may be wondering with me how a disease gets to be around for so long. Well, for starters TB spreads through the air, making it difficult to contain. Also, TB is now resisting some antibiotics making it difficult to completely obliterate the bacteria from a person's body.

However, it is not all gloomy. It is actually possible to beat TB. The world has made efforts to combat this disease through forming a partnership called the Stop TB Partnership, a global coalition to end TB through various efforts. But I believe that global efforts are not enough. TB should be financed through national budgets. There are many ways to fund TB response. Taxes on tobacco products and on mining companies should have a percentage which should go directly towards financing TB responses. 

National financing is vital because a country can not simply lose its people to TB related deaths when they can create avenues for financing TB. Over reliance on donor funding shows a lack of commitment. It is estimated that 4 billion is needed each year to finance TB response mechanisms. Unfortunately less than 2 billion is financed. Therefore it is rather important to have each nation contribute to financing through national budgeting and other means.

Concluding, though our nations have a role to play, it also comes down to an individual level. TB is sometimes spread through reckless practises like spitting. If we all play our part and help through community actions like community based monitoring, we can beat TB.

#YesWeCanEnd TB #TB_financing


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