World TB Day at MOD Public Health Foundation, Masaka City, Uganda.

March 24, 2023

#YES!WeCanEndTBby2030

#WeCanEndTB

Today is World TB Day. The theme for this year's World TB Day is  “Yes! We Can End TB.”

This theme brings attention to tuberculosis (TB) and that it is in our collective power to end TB by 2030 and therefore reach the SDG goals.

In view of that, our people-centered health promotion work as MOD brings hope and continues to build on the amazing work done in Uganda as one of the TB High Burden Countries to recover from the impact of the COVID epidemic. We continue to support through advocacy the access to new diagnostics, new treatment regimens, digital technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) for the TB response. The YES! We Can End TB, also centers on the increased engagement of those affected by TB, communities, and civil society who are leading the movement toward ending this disease.

This year is going to be critical for all of us engaged in TB work and as it is championed as the ‘year of hope’ to get full support, attention, and energy for a collective ‘YES! We can End TB’.

Therefore, as civil society and grass-root organizations we need tailored messages and sub-themes to create a sense of urgency and illustrate the need for rapid, scale-up of action and urgent investments.  We need to develop an advocacy movement that supports innovations aiming at;

1.      Scaling up implementation and speed up, research and development of new tools including a new TB vaccine.

2.      Access to new rapid molecular diagnosis and to new shorter and more efficient treatment regimens.

3.      TB prevention, TB in children,

Therefore, as MOD Public Health Foundation, this year we would like to support this campaign to boost global TB awareness, strengthen other grassroots CSOs and Communities to respond to TB prevention interventions, Rights and Gender (CRG) work, and ensure the endorsement of a strong political declaration and maximum participation of communities of practices, Government in the efforts to stop TB by 2030.

We know very well that, as WHO’s TB Report 2022 showed, TB mortality rates have increased for the second year in a row and the TB incidence has also increased for the first time in more than a decade. We also know that despite moving closer to achieving some of the 2022 UN HLM TB targets, they still remain unachieved.

However, we are also aware of the heavy impact of COVID-19 on CSOs and  national TB response. However, there is an incredible energy in bringing to the forefront and increased advocacy to strengthen access to new diagnostics, new treatment and preventive regimens, new recommendations, and guidelines. We see how the voice of people affected by TB is rising higher and higher and they gain a central role in TB response in many countries. We know that we can end TB! So, let's embrace this 2023 World TB Day theme together and let things happen!

#YES!WeCanEndTBby2030

#WeCanEndTB

Samuel Waliggo, MPH (ED)

MOD Public Health Foundation

Tel: +256706472457

E-mail: samuel.waliggo@mod.or.ug

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