Mukono, 6 November 2015:  The Annual National Tuberculosis (TB) Stakeholders three-day meeting commenced at Collin Hotel in Mukono district, from 28th to 30th October under the theme “Engaging all stakeholders to end Tuberculosis epidemic in Uganda’’.

The objective of the meeting is to bring together all stakeholders to discuss the progress and key strategies to end the TB epidemic and Leprosy in Uganda.

Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng the Director General of Health Services at the Ministry of Health opened the meeting and highlighted the fact that Uganda is among the 22 high burden TB countries contributing to 80% of the global TB cases. “It’s not enough for us to hear statistics and look on,” she said. She called on the stakeholders to get ‘annoyed’ and through concerted efforts, find solutions to TB prevalence, citing the efforts in immunization as an example of concerted effort. Dr, Aceng thanked the organizers for convening the large number of stakeholder and called for fruitful deliberations.

Dr. Solomon Woldetsadik Fisseha represented the  World Health Organization Country Representative at the meeting and in his remarks reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to raising the profile of Tuberculosis Control at global, country and community levels. “Tuberculosis is one of the public health priorities of WHO, that is why we play a leading role in the fight against the disease.” he said. Dr. Solomon further said that WHO certified the Uganda National TB Reference Laboratory in 2013 as a Supranational Laboratory and was pleased to note that the Country has maintained this status.

Ms. Brianna Smith, the Acting Coordinator for President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) also spoke at the meeting reiterated  the United States Government though United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) commitment to stronger partnership with the Uganda Government to end the TB and HIV epidemic in Uganda through financing, and building technical capacities. Ms. Brianna further commended the government for the tremendous work towards ending the TB epidemic thus far and said it’s achievable.

Ms. Namugwanza Linda a Multi-Drug Resistant TB survivor also spoke at the meeting. She narrated her ordeal on how she contracted TB and said that she had lost hope but was thankful to the government that availed her with treatment. She also called on other TB patients to seek treatment because TB is curable.

Over the recent past, when compared to other countries, the TB burden in Uganda has declined. Between 1990 to 2013, the TB incidence reduced from 624 to 166 new TB cases per 100,000 people and the prevalence reduced from 492 to 154 TB case per 100,000 people.  WHO listed Uganda as one of the countries among the 22 TB high-burden countries that met the Millennium Development Goal 6; MDG 6 targets to combat HIV/Aids, Malaria and other infectious diseases including TB by 2015.  Uganda managed to reduce the number of people dying from TB in the last 12 years from 9,900 in 1990 to 4,700 in 2012.

WHO calls for ‘global solidarity and action’ to support a new 20-year strategy that aims to end the global TB epidemic. In May 2014, member states endorsed the World Health Organization’s End TB strategy. The End TB strategy is an ambitious strategy aimed at ending the TB epidemic in 2035 in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Ending the TB epidemic requires a dramatic decline in TB cases and TB deaths.  The ambitious targets focus on making a decline of 90% in TB cases and decline of 95% of the deaths due to TB. The incidence should fall to less than 10/100,000 TB cases per year. 

The stakeholder meeting was well attended by District officials, Government Partners, Civil Society Organizations and the media.

____________________________________________

For more information, please contact:

Mwebembezi Edmond, Public Information Officer, Tel.: +256 414 335569, Cell.: +256 782 962674, Email: mwebembezie [at] who.int (mwebembezie[at]who[dot]int)

____________________________________________

Below:

01. Left to right Ms. Briana Smith PEPFAR, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng MOH, Dr. Solomon Fisseha WHO, Ms. Namutamba Dorothy CSO Representative.

02. Ms. Namugwanza Linda  a Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis survivor gives her testimony

03. Stakeholders tuned up in large numbers for the three-day meeting