Launch of the Global Plan towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections among Children by 2015 and Keeping their Mothers Alive
Remarks by the Secretary-General

By Eric Goosby for CNN. 

The news that tuberculosis — a treatable and curable disease — now ranks alongside HIV as the leading infectious disease killer worldwide should be a wake-up call to us all.

Having worked as a physician focusing on HIV/AIDS for decades, and as the U.S. global AIDS coordinator under President Barack Obama, I have seen what it takes to ramp up the AIDS response. Unfortunately, the TB response has historically lagged far behind. Indeed, it’s clear that the political backing and momentum to make the bold strides needed to drive down the epidemic just do not yet exist, though we know that path is possible.

It is unacceptable that 4,400 people continue to die from TB each day when we can diagnose and cure nearly every person with TB.

It is unacceptable that 4,400 people continue to die from TB each day when we can diagnose and cure nearly every person with TB. Yet as the latest World Health Organization report on the global TB epidemic released this week states, there are serious detection and treatment gaps that are keeping people from being cured.