First lady backs global efforts to end tuberculosis

Peng Liyuan, wife of President Xi Jinping, addressed a United Nations General Assembly high-level meeting on ending tuberculosis via video on Wednesday, calling for global efforts to fight the disease.

Peng, who became the World Health Organization's goodwill ambassador for TB and HIV/AIDS in 2011, shared her feelings and experiences with attendees of the meeting, which took place at UN headquarters in New York. She also shared touching stories of the unsung heroes in China who have been selflessly dedicated to the cause of combating TB.

Peng, who is also China's national ambassador for TB control and prevention, said there has been rapid progress in China in controlling and preventing the disease, and victims are being diagnosed and treated in a more timely and effective manner.

She also pointed out the great importance the government and society as a whole attach to the cause, praising the hard work of some 700,000 volunteers.

In some parts of China, TB prevention has become one of the key tasks in the government's poverty alleviation program, said Peng.

China has seen continuous increases in both case detection and cure rates for TB as well as decreases in morbidity and mortality, she said, adding that TB control awareness and prevention techniques are understood by 75 percent of the population.

Thanks to joint efforts by governments, international organizations, NGOs, specialists and volunteers, control and prevention of the disease on a global level have seen significant achievements, but mankind still faces severe challenges confronting TB, Peng said.

The WHO has adopted the End TB Strategy, she said, urging all countries to join hands and do their best to change the lives of the millions of people affected by TB along with stamping out the disease.

The high-level meeting was chaired by Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, president of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. A political declaration on the control and prevention of TB was endorsed at the meeting.

Xinhua