Taking forward the World TB Day 2016 theme “Unite to End Tuberculosis” for the WHO Africa Region

Highlights • Tuberculosis (TB) remains a ‘global emergency’ ever since it was declared as such by the WHO in 1993. • Of the 9.6 million people who developed TB in 2014, 28% were in WHO The Africa Region where the case rate was 281 per 100,000 population. • An estimated 1.2 million (12%) of TB cases were HIV-positive and the African Region accounted for 74% of these cases. • The global spread of multi-drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) is now a major public health challenge. • Scientific, Political and Funder communities seriously need to ‘Unite to End TB’, the theme for the 2016 World TB Day. • TB control programs in Africa can only succeed if mechanisms for close engagement of developing country scientists, healthcare workers, patient groups, governments and policy makers is ensured by funding and donor agencies. • Several funder, political and community initiatives provide hope for achieving goals of the WHO post-2015 TB strategy. • TB activities and funder investments in Africa need to be aligned in parallel with international efforts at improving social and living conditions, and with the ‘one health’ initiative.