Messenger of Peace joins TB campaign

A former UN Messenger of Peace has joined the fight against tuberculosis (TB) after being appointed an ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership.

Anna Cataldi, who served as a Messenger between 1998 and 2007, has joined the campaign which raises awareness about the infectious disease on a global scale.

Ms Cataldi said that she was "grateful to the Stop TB Partnership for giving me this opportunity to advocate on behalf of those suffering from this disease".

"She was an active, compassionate and productive Messenger," said former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

"She travelled to difficult places, such as Afghanistan and Somalia, to bring support, encouragement and hope to the desperate and voiceless. I am delighted she will now devote her energies to the Stop TB campaign."

TB is thought to kill 4,400 people every day and it is estimated that 2005 saw 8.8 million people newly infected with the disease.