Linda Nsembu's blog

Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are the deadliest chronic infections globally. Although each is deadly alone, they are deadlier together, with TB causing one‐quarter of AIDS‐related deaths and HIV infecting at least 15% of patients with TB worldwide. Historically, the 2 diseases were treated through specific, vertical programs. Strong activism and massive scientific investment have boosted the global response to AIDS, whereas TB has suffered from weak advocacy and anemic research funding. However, since 2004, there has been increasing collaboration and convergence between programs to control the 2 diseases, driven by the recognition that program cooperation leads to synergistic gains in strengthening responses to the 2 diseases and to health systems in general. Progress to date is incomplete, however, and countries must rededicate themselves to scaling up prevention and treatment programs for TB and HIV infection toward universal access, while pursuing accelerated research efforts to develop effective vaccines, better treatments, and cures for both diseases.

World Health Day? Is that the day when maybe 3 billion poor people in need can have access to some medical treatment, or a good meal, or clean water? A special day for the health of the world — when everyone has the possibility to get better, feel better and do better on a global scale — is that what they mean by World Health Day? No, I don't think that is World Health Day. It's probably just another day for the 3 billion, just another 24 hours of struggling to stay alive and able to continue to scratch-out an existence. Very very few will even know that the UN has said it's a special day. Over these 24 hours, tens of thousands will die, with the 'cause of death' being from curable or manageable diseases, or fixable problems related to poverty. So, what's so special about World Health Day? / linda.nsembu at yahoo.co.uk

Achieving targets to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and halve tuberculosis rates hang in the balance as donor commitments to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Fund come up for review. For the past seven years, the Geneva-based Global Fund has made some of the largest contributions to health aid in history, said the Fund's executive director, Michel Kazatchkine. International donors will meet in October 2010 to decide whether, and how much money, they will give the international financing organization. Kazatchkine said progress so far had put the world on track to reaching important health milestones by 2015, but reaching these goals would depend on renewed funding.