At the launch of the WHO Global Tuberculosis Control Report, UNAIDS Executive Director highlighted the need for TB and HIV communities to scale up collaboration if the goal of universal access to to quality TB and HIV prevention, diagnostic, treatment and care services is to be achieved. The report, released by WHO, indicates that the worldwide TB epidemic has levelled off for the first time since it was declared a public health emergency in 1993. But despite signs that the epidemic may be slowing, there are still major impediments to rapid progress against TB - prominent among them being the lack of investment, uneven access to diagnosis and treatment within countries, the emergence of XDR-TB, the inextricable links between HIV and TB and the ageing population.

Global Tuberculosis Control Report

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot with the Director General of the World Health Organisation Dr Margaret Chan at the launch of the Global Tuberculosis Control Report in Geneva.

WHO Director General Dr Margaret Chan welcomed the new findings in the report and emphasised that TB needed to be tackled as part of the larger challenge of increasing access to primary health care services.

UNAIDS Executive Director Dr Peter Piot stressed the importance of scaling-up collaboration between the TB and HIV communities if the goal of universal access to quality TB and HIV prevention, diagnostic, treatment and care services is to be achieved.

Director of the WHO Stop TB Department Dr Mario Raviglione warned of the serious threat XDR-TB posed to the global response to AIDS and highlighted the need for greater funding to support research into new diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.

Dr Kevin de Cock, Director of WHO's HIV/AIDS programme welcomed the report's findings and underlined Dr Piot's message of strenghtening cohesion between groups working on TB and groups working on HIV..