The Wire magazine has today published an op-ed highlighting India, a rapidly developing economy and home to one-quarter of the global TB burden, as holding immense potential to lead the world in eradicating TB
The Wire magazine has today published an op-ed, co-authored by Dr Paula I Fujiwara, Scientific Director of The Union, and Dr Mark Feinberg, President and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), highlighting India, a rapidly developing economy and home to one-quarter of the global TB burden, as holding immense potential to lead the world in eradicating TB. The Government of India has committed to ending TB by 2025 – five years before the global targets – and, with proper investment into developing new tools, is well placed to become a global research hub and a key to ending TB worldwide.
New research funding, committed by governments at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on ending TB in September 2018, is needed to create a rapid and accessible diagnostic test, short and affordable treatment regimens, and a new vaccine to prevent people from contracting TB. Recent breakthroughs are being made in the development of these tools, but research is urgently required to develop more products, bring the tools to market, and to have an impact on the epidemic.
The 50th Union World Conference on Lung Health, to be held in Hyderabad, India, from 30 October – 2 November will further develop discussions around the topics raised in this article – from TB research and development, new vaccines, political commitment and more – under the theme Ending the Emergency: Science, Leadership, Action.