Stop TB Partnership Board

Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, has been appointed Chairman of the Stop TB Partnership Board.
He will serve a three year term, commencing July 2021, as the Chair of the Board of Stop TB Partnership.

Important points:

It was established in 2000 and is mandated to eliminate Tuberculosis as a public health problem.
The organization was conceived following the meeting of the First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Tuberculosis Epidemic held in London in March 1998.
In its inaugural year itself, the Stop TB Partnership through the Amsterdam Declaration gave a call for collaborative action from ministerial delegations from 20 countries that bear the highest burden of TB.
In 2019, it launched the updated Global Plan to End TB 2018-2022.
The Kochon Prize is awarded annually by Stop TB Partnership to individuals and/or organizations that have made a significant contribution to combating TB.
The Kochon Prize, which is endowed by the Kochon Foundation, a non-profit foundation registered in the Republic of Korea, consists of a USD 65,000 award.
Its secretariat is based at Geneva, Switzerland.

High TB Burden Countries:

In 2019, the 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of new TB cases.
Eight countries account for two thirds of the total, with India leading the count, followed by Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and South Africa (Global Tuberculosis Report: WHO)
With an estimated 2.64 million TB patients, India has the largest burden of TB globally in terms of absolute numbers.
Recently, the “Step Up for TB 2020”report by the Stop TB Partnership and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has highlighted India’s conservative approach regarding the new medicines for Drug Resistant TB, putting lives of patients including children in danger.

Steps Taken by India:

India has committed to eliminating TB in the country by 2025.
Five years ahead of the global deadline of 2030.
National Strategy Plan for TB Elimination 2017-2025
The requirements for moving towards TB elimination in India have been arranged in four strategic areas of Detect, Treat, Prevent& Build.
There is also across all four areas, an overarching theme of the Private Sector. Another overarching theme is that of Key Populations.
TB HaregaDeshJeetega Campaign, NikshayPoshanYojana, etc.

Global Efforts:

The End TB Strategy of WHO.
World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is observed on 24th March to raise public awareness about the devastating health, social and economic consequences of TB.
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs.
Transmission: TB is spread from person to person through the air. When people with lung TB cough, sneeze or spit, they propel the TB germs into the air.
Symptoms: Cough with sputum and blood at times, chest pains, weakness, weight loss, fever and night sweats.
Treatment: TB is treatable and curable disease. It is treated with a standard 6 month course of 4 antimicrobial drugs that are provided with information, supervision and support to the patient by a health worker or trained volunteer.
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is a form of TB caused by bacteria that do not respond to isoniazid and rifampicin, the 2 most powerful, first-line anti-TB drugs. MDR-TB is treatable and curable by using second-line drugs.
Extensively drug resistant TB (XDR TB) is a rare type of MDR TB that is resistant to isoniazid and rifampin, plus any fluoroquinolone and at least one of three injectable second-line drugs (i.e., amikacin, kanamycin, or capreomycin).

SOURCE: DTE

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