On January 7, USAID will officially launch the Obama Administration’s National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR-TB). On December 22, 2015, the Administration announced a comprehensive set of U.S. federal activities and a call to action to the global community to combat the rise of MDR-TB around the globe. KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation’s Executive Director Kitty van Weezenbeek has been invited to speak at the launch.
In the National Action Plan for Combating Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, the Administration outlines its vision how the United States will work domestically and internationally to contribute to the prevention, detection and control of MDR-TB in an effort to avert tuberculosis-associated morbidity and mortality and support a shared global vision of a world free of tuberculosis.
The goals of the National Action Plan include strengthening domestic and international capacity and collaboration, and accelerating research and development to combat MDR-TB.
The Action Plan is also an effort to articulate a comprehensive strategy, mobilize political will and spur additional financial and in-kind commitments from bilateral and multilateral donors, partners, the private sector and the governments of affected countries.
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation is the lead partner in Challenge TB, the flagship global mechanism for implementing USAID’s TB strategy and TB/HIV activities. www.challengetb.org.
KNCV welcomes the release of this Action Plan, as MDR-TB is one of the top global health challenges, and it requires urgent action and commitment from governments around the world. KNCV already invests heavily in addressing this health problem and is committed to continuing the fight against this global threat together with USAID and other partners.