On 7 June, the eve of the United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on HIV/AIDS, global leaders and key stakeholders convened at the WHO-hosted high-level side event: “Ending TB deaths among people with HIV - Step up the Momentum”. At this event they reasserted their commitment to ending TB deaths among people with HIV and discussed how they would intensify the response to HIV-associated TB within the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The side event was opened by representatives from the UNHLM co-facilitating countries, Dr Stephanie Williams, Australian Ambassador for Regional Health Security, Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Dr Kalumbi Shangula, Minister of Health and Social Services of Namibia, WHO Goodwill Ambassador for TB and HIV and First Lady of China, Her Excellency Professor Peng Liyuang, the Deputy Director General of WHO, Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, and the Deputy Executive Director of UNAIDS, Dr Shannon Hader. Other high-level speakers included ministers of health from Indonesia and Nigeria, a civil society representative, senior leadership of agencies and partners leading the global response to TB and HIV, namely, the Global Fund, PEPFAR, the Stop TB Partnership, USAID, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Directors of WHO’s Global TB Programme and the Global HIV, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections Programme. The event was closed by the WHO Assistant Director-General of Universal Health Coverage, Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases, Dr Ren Minghui.
WHO’s Global TB Programme Director Dr Tereza Kasaeva, highlighted the progress made on TB/HIV targets agreed to at the respective 2016 and 2018 UNHLMs on AIDS and TB. By galvanizing political commitment and partnerships, TB deaths among people with HIV have reduced by 63% in 2019 compared with 2010, against the 75% target set for 2020. Further, 5.3 million people living with HIV have been provided with TB preventive treatment since 2018, just short of 90% of the 6 million target set for 2022. Participants acknowledged however, that while the progress against these targets is considerable, the work is not yet done as gaps in coverage and quality along the TB/HIV cascade of diagnosis, treatment, prevention and care persist.
“We call for urgent attention on the unfinished agenda of addressing the twin epidemics of HIV and TB” said Meirinda Sebayang, TB/HIV advocate and Chairperson of Jaringan Indonesia Positif, the Indonesia Network of People Living with HIV.
The panellists also noted the alarming impact of COVID-19 on TB care and prevention, including the diversion of resources away from TB and HIV services. Globally, TB notifications have reduced by 21% due to COVID-19, with variability across countries, reversing progress made on reducing TB deaths. Panelists stressed the importance of real-time data to allow measurement of the impact of COVID-19 on TB and HIV services and the importance of sustained and increased funding for the response. Opportunities to learn from the COVID response to ‘build back better’ were also highlighted, including the need to act with speed and to raise the level of expectations in terms of research and development, and the scale-up of innovations. Panelists also emphasized the need for rights-based and people-centred care tailored to the needs of those affected that is gender sensitive and free from discrimination, and its critical role in ending TB deaths among people with HIV.
On Tuesday, at the UN HLM on HIV/AIDS, Member States adopted a political declaration which includes a target to ensure that 90% of people living with HIV receive preventive treatment for TB and another target to reduce HIV-related TB deaths by 80% by 2025, compared to 2010. These are aligned with WHO’s End TB Strategy. Member States also requested that reviews of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development take place at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, as well as the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage in 2023 and the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, also in 2023.
“The progress made so far in the global fight against TB/HIV could not have been made without the immeasurable support from our partners and civil society. As we advance further into this decade, we need to redouble our efforts to end TB deaths among people with HIV” concluded Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme.
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