LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Friday, March 24th, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) – the world’s largest HIV/AIDS care organization – is marking World TB Day by holding “Yes! We Can End TB” events across several of its 45 country teams to show support for those affected by tuberculosis and urge world leaders to commit to ending this 100% preventable and treatable disease.
AHF country teams also are sending letters to their respective heads of state asking them to attend the United Nations High-Level Meeting on TB this September. On April 13th, AHF will host a “Reviving TB Advocacy Worldwide" panel discussion with public health thought leaders and TB experts at the Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference in Washington, DC.
“AHF has made TB a top priority by educating staff and clients, screening for TB in our clinics, and prioritizing, preventing, and treating HIV/TB co-infection, which is the number one cause of death for people living with HIV. As a preventable and treatable disease, world leaders must do more to end TB, and we’re calling on them to do just that on World TB Day and beyond,” said Terri Ford, AHF Chief of Global Advocacy and Policy. “We all must do more to finally stop TB worldwide, particularly in lower-income countries.”
In 2021, TB claimed 1.6 million lives, and more than 10 million people acquired TB. Even though tuberculosis is a global epidemic, more than 95% of TB deaths occur in lower-income countries. The World Health Organization currently estimates finances were less than 40% of what was needed to prevent and treat TB in 2022.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 1.7 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.