Source: Xinhua
03-25-2009 16:36
UNITED NATIONS, March 24 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday called on all countries in the world to work together and fight against tuberculosis (TB) amid the spreading financial crisis.
In a message marking World TB Day, Ban said although strides have been made on combating TB, the pace of the disease's decline is "far too slow," with the contagium still claiming a life every 20 seconds.
He underlined the need to prevent infection, to detect cases at an early stage and to provide treatment for all. Ban also stresses the importance of redoubling efforts to fight multi-drug-resistant (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR-TB) forms of TB as well as the TB/HIV co-epidemic.
The secretary-general urged countries to "protect investments in global health, particularly to protect the most vulnerable" in this time of economic crisis.
"Global cooperation in fighting tuberculosis, and all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), must be essential to our task ahead," he said, calling for partnership and innovation to "prevent disease, save lives and enable communities to thrive."
