Legendary Indian actor, Amitabh Bachchan, addressed the 47th Union World Conference on Lung Health and its participants through a video message at the inaugural session on 26 October, 2016. Speaking as a tuberculosis (TB) survivor, he said:
“TB disproportionately affects the poor but it is also true that not only the poor suffer from tuberculosis. It can happen to anyone. If by saying I have had TB can help anybody, then I will say I am a TB survivor.”
Mr Bachchan is the Ambassador of Call to Action for TB-Free India and over the past year he has given his support to The Union’s work in India, including participation at our Call to Action for a TB-Free India dialogue and events. He has played a key role in raising awareness about TB and addressing the issue of stigma and discrimination associated with the disease.
In the video message, Mr Bachchan urges leaders to join the fight against TB, saying, “Each of us has a role to play. We need our political leaders to commit at the highest level, in each of our countries, to provide the much-needed services to the most marginalised and vulnerable populations. We need to pool our resources to find effective solutions. And yes, we need much more investment in research. We need new diagnostics that make it easy to detect TB and new drugs that can shorten the course of treatment. And most importantly, we need an effective vaccine.”
Mr Bachchan also said, “I stand committed to making a difference as I have done before in my long association with the polio campaign till India was Polio Free.”