The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the new decree by the President of Brazil, His Excellency Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the establishment of an Interministerial Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and other Socially Determined Diseases (CIEDS).
"Brazil has made rapid progress over the past six months in bringing together nine ministries to prioritize ending TB and address the key drivers of the epidemic. WHO applauds the leadership of H.E. President Lula da Silva in establishing the Interministerial Committee," said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO's Global TB Programme. "This will serve as an inspiration for other leaders. We urge countries to advance efforts to strengthen multisectoral collaboration, and build an effective accountability system on ending TB."
The Interministerial Committee will be coordinated by the Ministry of Health that is headed by Honorable Minister Dr Nísia Trindade Lima, and will include representatives from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Hunger, Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, Ministry of Racial Equality, Ministry of Integration and Regional Development, Ministry of Justice and Public Security, and Ministry of Indigenous Peoples. The committee will support Brazil's ambitious plan to end TB and address the main drivers of the TB epidemic including poverty, undernutrition, and other vulnerabilities affecting key populations.
The decree is well aligned with WHO recommendations to work across sectors in efforts to end the TB epidemic as highlighted in the Multisectoral Accountability Framework to end TB..
During a high-level mission to Brasilia, Brazil last week, Dr Tereza Kasaeva met with the Honorable Health Minister Dr Nísia Trindade Lima and her team including Health Secretary Dr Ethel Maciel, civil society representatives, Deptutado Antonio Brito, MP & President of the Brazilian Parliamentary TB Caucus, as well as leading health experts in the country. She expressed her appreciation for the impressive progress made in the country towards ending TB and presented on preparations for the upcoming UN High Level Meeting on TB in September at the "International Seminar on high-level commitments to eliminate TB as a public health problem in Brazil", convened by the Ministry of Health.
WHO across all three levels remains committed to continue its close collaboration with the Brazilian government and people in their efforts to end TB.
