UNAIDS reports mixed progress in achieving the goal of reducing 75% of TB deaths among people living with HIV by 2020 – World

Five countries achieved the goal three years ahead of 2020 and another 18 are on track. However, most countries are lagging behind and may miss the target altogether. UNAIDS urges countries to step up their actions.

GENEVA, March 22, 2019 – In anticipation of World TB Day, March 24, 2019, UNAIDS urges countries to intensify efforts to reach the 2020 goal of reducing by 75 per cent the number of deaths due to TB. Tuberculosis in people living with HIV, as outlined in the 2016 UN Political Declaration on Ending AIDS. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, the number of deaths from TB among people living with HIV has decreased by 42% since 2010, from 520,000 to 300,000 in 2017.

Estimates show that by 2017, five low- and middle-income countries have reached or exceeded the target of a 75% reduction in TB deaths among people living with HIV, with three years of advance – India (84%), Eritrea (83%). Djibouti (78%), Malawi (78%) and Togo (75%). Eighteen other countries have reduced the number of TB deaths among people living with HIV by more than 50% and are on track to reach this goal by the end of 2020, provided that the expansion of services is maintained. However, estimates also show that most countries are not on track and that deaths are increasing in some regions and countries.

"Tuberculosis should be a disease of the past. It has been treatable and preventable for decades. Years of neglect of the world's poor people's right to basic health care, food and housing have allowed TB to take root and become more resilient, "said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of the World Health Organization. UNAIDS. "People living with HIV are particularly at risk. Many countries still have a chance to reach their goal, but we must act now: it is time to end tuberculosis and AIDS. "

About 40 countries have experienced an increase in the number of TB deaths among people living with HIV between 2010 and 2017. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the number of deaths from TB among people living with HIV has increased by 22% between 2010 and 2017, seen in all but three countries in the region. In Latin America, deaths increased by 7%. The lack of progress in some countries makes it clear that additional efforts are needed to address key challenges, including the need for equity and to ensure that vulnerable groups have access to integrated HIV and AIDS services. tuberculosis.

To accelerate the reduction of TB deaths among people living with HIV and achieve the 2020 goal, UNAIDS urges countries to fully integrate TB and HIV services and use community-based approaches to research, diagnose and treat missing cases. Countries must screen for TB among all people living with HIV and all people with TB must be tested for HIV. The quality of the diagnosis of tuberculosis and HIV also needs to be improved. HIV and TB prevention efforts need to be intensified, especially for those at higher risk of infection. In addition, all people diagnosed with TB and HIV need immediate access to treatment and support to adhere to their treatment regimens.

"Although progress is mixed, we can see that the goal can be achieved and that a large number of countries can achieve this if they act with urgency and use focused community approaches," he said. said Mr Sidibé. "I can not stress enough that it is essential to integrate TB and HIV services so that people can be screened, tested, treated and treated as a means of prevention, ideally under the same roof, by the same health worker and the same day. We know that this approach saves lives. "

Within two years of reaching the target, UNAIDS urges all countries to step up their actions and partners to work together to ensure that all people living with HIV and TB have access to HIV / AIDS services. effective prevention and treatment.

Tuberculosis is the leading cause of infectious mortality in the world, killing about 4400 people a day. Tuberculosis also remains the leading cause of death among people living with HIV, causing one in three AIDS deaths. In 2017, 1.6 million people died of TB, including about 300,000 people living with HIV.

CONTACT
UNAIDS
Sophie Barton-Knott
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[email protected]

CONTACT
UNAIDS
Media
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