March 2022

EGPAF Recognizes World TB Day and Reaffirms its Commitment to Ending Childhood TB

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

Daniel Pino, Manager, Media Relations & External Engagement
dpino@pedaids.org
(703) 597-2766

March 24, 2022 – Washington, D.C. – Today, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation recognizes World TB Day and the organization’s deep commitment to ending childhood TB. “For over two years, the global health community has seen a dramatic disruption in critical services in the fight for both an AIDS-free generation and for a TB-free future as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said EGPAF’s CEO & President Chip Lyons.

EGPAF also commends the release of the updated WHO TB guidelines which will help the global health community counter the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had in the fight against TB. According to the WHO, COVID-19 has caused a drop in HIV testing services and an increase in global TB-related deaths for the first time in a decade. In fact, TB was second only to COVID-19 as the leading cause of death globally from an infectious disease in 2020 and still remains one of the top 10 causes of death in children even though it is preventable, treatable, and curable. “Today’s guidelines – in addition to the insights gathered by EGPAF’s own CaP TB project – will provide the global health community the necessary tools and research to help us reach children most in need of TB care,” said Lyons.

The CaP TB project is a Unitaid-funded initiative that provides technical and programmatic support to end the ongoing pediatric TB crisis in nine sub-Saharan African countries and India. The project has yielded critical insights on ways that the global health community can improve measures to end TB in children and meet the ambitious targets set at the United Nations High-Level Meeting.

EGPAF is also spearheading World TBD activities in countries where we operate:

  • Democratic Republic of Congo – EGPAF TB experts are participating in a webinar with DRC journalists on the DRC National TB Program.
  • Eswatini – EGPAF staff are supporting a Ministry of Health TB Commemoration program by providing “edutainment” information about pediatric TB.
  • Kenya – EGPAF staff are intensifying awareness, screening, and capacity improvement activities to increase TB detection and prevention in both adults and children by sharing lessons from its project to end childhood illnesses and deaths due to TB.
  • Lesotho – EGPAF staff are presenting plans with other partners to address the declining TB treatment coverage in Lesotho and also participate in the World TB Day national ceremony, and the official launch of Community TB care.
  • Malawi – EGPAF staff are producing and sharing digital content about the CaP TB program.
  • Mozambique – EGPAF staff are supporting the Ministry of Health by promoting TB success stories and awareness campaigns via community radio programs and print materials.
  • Tanzania – EGPAF staff are participating in community radio programs to promote TB success stories and offering TB screening services at a national TB event.

“Global leaders must not back down from the challenges posed by ending childhood TB,” said Lyons. “By following the WHO’s guidelines, working in a collaborative manner, and putting into practice the findings from our CaP TB project, the global community has the chance to end TB once and for all,” he continued.

Additional information on the importance of combatting childhood TB can be found in the article “Ask the Experts: How Do We end Childhood TB?” featuring EGPAF’s Senior Director of Technology and Innovation, Cassandra Kelly Cirino and Senior Program Officer at the African Union, Dr. Sheila Tamara Shawa, Ph.D.

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF)

EGPAF is a proven leader in the fight for an AIDS-free generation and has reached over 31 million pregnant women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. Founded in 1988, EGPAF has supported over 15,000 sites and currently works in 17 countries to offer HIV counseling, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services alongside high-quality family health care. Each stage of life—from infancy to adulthood—brings new and different challenges, and EGPAF is driven to see a world where no other mother, child, or family is devastated by this disease. For more information, visit pedaids.org.