November 30, 2009 – Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – The United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy to Stop Tuberculosis (TB) is visiting five African countries, Ethiopia included, in a bold initiative to fight the spread of one of the biggest killer diseases on the continent. The mission is organized by the Stop TB Partnership in close collaboration with WHO.

Dr. Sampaio, who is also a former President of Portugal, is asking key stakeholders including governments to take an active role in helping people in need to gain access to accurate TB diagnosis and effective treatment as well as to strengthen prevention.

TB is a major health issue in Africa and kills nearly two million people every year around the world--even though it can be cured with a six-month course of drugs that costs only US$ 20.

Dr. Sampaio has reiterated his request to Ministers of Health in Africa to set ambitious national targets and mobilize the funding necessary to reduce the number of people living with HIV who die unnecessarily of TB. He made the initial request at a Special Ministerial Session on TB in Kigali, Rwanda two months ago.

In Addis, President Sampaio was welcomed by Dr. Fatoumata Nafo-Traoré, the WHO Representative in Ethiopia, who coordinated the visit in close collaboration with the government of Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the support of the Portuguese Embassy.

During his stay, President Sampaio held meetings with H.E. Ato Girma Woldeghiorgis, President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, HE Dr. Tedros Adihanom, Minister of Health, and the UN Country Team, as well as Mr. Jean Ping, the President of the AU commission. In all meetings TB control in the country and Africa at large was raised, namely in view of the forthcoming high level meeting on MDG to be held in September 2009 as well as better coordination between HIV and TB, strengthening health systems and laboratory health care delivery, and brain drain among other issues. Furthermore, President Sampaio has visited two TB/HIV health facilities: St. Peter Hospital and Bole Health Center where he actually visualized the country’s health system practice on the ground.

Dr. Sampaio’s visit will provide a follow up to the implementation of his Commitment with the Clinton Global Initiative, which is aimed at increasing the engagement of global leaders in the fight against TB/HIV. Dr. Sampaio is also expected to ask National AIDS Councils to systematically integrate TB in their programmes as one of the objectives of his visit.

Dr. Sampaio’s visit will also help support the establishment of an African Leaders Tuberculosis Alliance with the main goal of fostering collaboration among African countries to build up common strategies to avoid an epidemic of drug-resistant tuberculosis.

In Africa, TB is the leading killer of people living with HIV and this visit comes nearly four months before the World TB Day which is held each year on 24 March. There are nearly nine million new cases of TB worldwide.