Quarter 2 2020 World TB Day 2020: Message from the CDC Director

World TB Day 2020:
Message from the CDC Director
In commemoration of World TB Day, CDC Director Robert Redfield, MD, called on the global public health community to recommit to end TB. He also recognized those within the community engaged in the response to COVID-19 during this unprecedented public health event. “Thank you for your commitment to eliminate TB in the United States and around the world,” said Dr. Redfield in a Dear Colleague Letter to key U.S. and global health stakeholders. “The work you do is vital, and we will continue to make progress globally because of your heroic efforts.”
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New Global Data Show Marked Progress in Fight Against TB

According to a recent CDC study, new cases of TB and TB-related deaths both decreased worldwide between 2017 and 2018 – 2 percent and 5 percent respectively. Additionally, TB preventive treatment rates among those living with HIV almost doubled over the same time period. The findings are consistent with recent trends and show continued progress towards global targets set for 2035. Despite this, study authors indicate further efforts are needed to end the global public health threat of TB — the world’s leading infectious disease killer.
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CDC Helps Launch Pediatric TB Centre of Excellence

CDC, in collaboration with the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease, has launched the sub-Saharan Africa Regional Child and Adolescent TB Centre of Excellence. The Centre will bring together leading TB experts and organizations to provide a platform for participating countries to share effective practices for finding and curing childhood TB and create a measurable impact on the burden of TB among children. Often dubbed the “hidden epidemic”, TB infection among children is estimated to be twice as high as previously thought.
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Magnificent’s Journey: From TB Victim to TB Activist

At 19 years old, Magnificent was in his second year of studies to become an electrical engineer when he contracted the often-deadly multi-drug resistant TB. Suddenly his days were filled with pills, injections and a lengthy and harrowing hospital stay. “If you were to collect all the tears I cried during that time,” he recalls, “it would measure a gallon.” With the help of a program supported by CDC-South Africa’s TB experts, and his own determination, he has since transformed this near-death experience into a commitment to defeat the deadly disease.
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