World leaders told to tackle TB

Leaders of countries around the world have been called upon to act and help stop TB spreading further.

The importance of improving treatment of TB and preventing the disease in the first place has been highlighted by new data from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

It found that HIV caused by TB has tripled in Sub-Saharan Africa since the 1990s, with up to 80 per cent of TB patients also suffering from HIV.

The UK Coalition to Stop TB has called for an integrated effort from Gordon Brown and other world leaders to deliver more funding to fight both TB and HIV.

Kate Finch from the group said: "If there was ever any doubt about the need to integrate the responses to TB and HIV, this is compelling new evidence we cannot ignore.

"In the current financial crisis with donors questioning their commitment to international aid and increased pressure on programme accountability and effectiveness, continuing to approach these two diseases separately would not only be inefficient, it would be negligent."

World TB Day took place yesterday around the world.

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