Message from UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé on the occasion of World TB Day 2013
GENEVA, 24 March 2013—Every day more than 1000 people living with HIV die of tuberculosis. This is unacceptable. Today we have the knowledge and the power to stop HIV and TB in their tracks. By integrating HIV and TB services and systems, we can save millions of lives and millions of dollars.
UNAIDS is calling for Zero parallel systems for HIV and TB. This means that HIV and TB systems should be fully integrated, every person living with HIV is tested for TB and that every person with TB is offered an HIV test, and people with TB who are HIV-positive are started on antiretroviral treatment immediately.
This can be achieved if governments, partners, businesses, civil society and people living with HIV and TB—commit resources, energies and embrace a collaborative spirit to end the HIV and TB co-epidemic.
If we do not close the funding gap and focus on HIV and TB hotspots, globally we could face a re-emergent disaster of HIV and drug resistant TB. UNAIDS will work closely with countries, donors and partners, particularly the Stop TB Partnership, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to produce sustainable solutions to fully integrate HIV/TB services and systems.
There are less than 1000 days remaining to achieve the targets in the 2011 United Nations General Assembly Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS. Member states committed to halving the number of TB deaths in people living with HIV.
Any time wasted will be precious lives lost.
