This is an archive of the Treatment Action Campaign's public documents from December 1998 until October 2008. I created this website because the TAC's website appears unmaintained and people were concerned that it
was becoming increasingly hard to find important documents.

The menu items have been slightly edited and a new stylesheet applied to the site. But none of the documents have been edited, not even for minor errors. The text appears on this site as obtained from the Internet Archive.

The period covered by the archive encompassed the campaign for HIV medicines, the civil disobedience campaigns, the Competition Commission complaints, the 2008 xenophobic violence and the PMTCT, Khayelitsha health workers and Matthias Rath court cases.

Global march for TB education, prevention, treatment and cure

9 November 2007

Global call to action for the 38th Annual Union World Conference on Lung Health

Save lives: Transform TB prevention, diagnostics and treatment

The 38th Annual Union World Conference on Lung Health is being held in Cape Town on the 8-12 November 2007. It is the first time in its 125-year history that the conference will be held outside of the northern hemisphere. This is important as Southern Africa is experiencing an extremely large and deadly TB epidemic, fuelled by a HIV epidemic. The response has been inadequate; new infections and needless deaths continue unabated.

We call on the delegates to adopt a Global Call for Action and Declaration on TB:

1. Every year TB kills more than 2 million people worldwide. In Southern Africa it is by far the greatest killer of people living with HIV.

2. In South Africa, over 70,000 death certificates recorded TB as a cause of death in 2005. 

3. Despite regional governments declaring an emergency in 2005, TB control and AIDS programmes in Southern Africa are failing to adequately deal with the twin epidemics of TB and HIV.

4. This inadequate response is no longer acceptable.

5. Current diagnostic techniques and drugs are out-of-date; we need simpler, more effective and accessible tools for testing and treating TB.

6. TB prevention, care and treatment programmes must adopt a decentralized, patient-centred approach with treatment literacy, adherence support and community education.

7. More resources for TB research are desperately needed.

8. Provision of a decent public health system that is based on the right of every person to life, dignity, health and equality is the duty of every state and the advocacy work of every HIV/TB activist.

9. Access to decent housing, employment, social security and nutrition are indispensable to the elimination of tuberculosis.

10. The TB crisis has caused tremendous suffering and generated confusion, fear and stigma. Protecting public health is not incompatible with promoting a human-rights approach to dealing with this contagious epidemic. It requires a plan and community consultation not repressive measures against individuals.

11. Support services for health professionals and allied workers engaged in saving the lives of people living with TB must be researched and funded immediately.

12. This conference must serve as a platform for consensus on key issues related to the treatment, prevention and care of TB, including MDR and XDR TB. We must review and update our national TB and HIV plans and through partnerships commit the necessary resources to begin implementing the following key areas for action:

• Improving infection control

• Getting more people living with HIV tested for TB and people infected with TB tested for HIV

• Integrating and decentralizing TB and HIV services

• Preventing and treating drug resistant TB (MDR/XDR TB)

We demand vision, research, funding, action and activism on TB/HIV and the crisis in public health now!

Endorsed by:

Agency for Cooperation and Research in Development Kenya

Africa Japan Forum Japan

African Civil Society Coalition on HIV and AIDS Nigeria

African Services Committee  USA

AIDS Action Baltimore USA

AIDS Care Watch Campaign Japan

AIDS Institute USA

Association morocaine du lutte contrele SIDA Morocco

American Medical Students Association Africa Action, USA

AIDS Rights Alliance of Southern Africa Namibia

Artists for a New South Africa, USA

Asia Pacific Network of People Living with HIV and AIDS Malaysia

Batanai HIV/AIDS Support Group Zimbabwe

Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV and AIDS Botswana

Canadian HIV and AIDS Legal Network Canada

Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project USA

Dignitas International- Canada

Economic Justice Network

EMPOWER India

Estonia Society for Positive People Estonia

European Aids Treatment  Group Belgium

Cameron  Psychology Association FOCAP Cameron

Gay And Lesbians of Zimbabwe

Health Global Access Project USA

Global Health Advocates Switzerland

Global Justice USA

Health Connection International USA

HIV Medicines Association USA

HIV/AIDS Task Force Japan Forum Japan

Humanity for Orphans, Youth and Widows Initiatives Kenya

i-BASE United Kingdom

African Council of AIDS Support Organisations Senegal

International Foundation for Alternative Research in AIDS USA

Kenya Treatment Access Movement Kenya

Lebanese AIDS Society- Lebanon

Loving Hand- Zimbabwe

Mother  Africa and Child Care Organisation Ghana

Médecins Sans Frontieres

 Dr. Michel  Kazatchikine, CEO, Global Fund

National Council of Disabled People of Zimbabwe

National Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS in Rwanda

Panos Southern Africa, Zambia

Pan African Treatment Access Movement Morocco

Asian Peoples Alliance to Combat HIV/AIDS Malaysia

Pinoy Plus Association Inc. Philippines

Positive Action Foundation Philippines Inc.

Positive Families Network, USA

Positive Malaysian  Malaysia

Project Inform USA

Project Ring Japan AIDS and Society Association Japan

SA Development Fund, USA

Southern African AIDS Information  Dissemination Services Zimbabwe

Southern Africa Treatment Access Movement Zimbabwe

Stamp Out Poverty United Kingdom

Student Global AIDS Campaign USA

Tanzania Network of People Living with HIV/AIDS Tanzania

TB Patients Support Self Help Group Kenya

The Centre Zimbabwe

Universities Allied for Essential Medicines Canada

Women AIDS Support Network Zimbabwe

World Aids Campaign Netherlands

Zimbabwe Activists on HIV and AIDS  Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Network of Positive Women Zimbabwe

Endorsements from South African Organisations

AIDS Law Project

Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa

Economic Justice Network

Ekuphumeline ZION Church

Empilweni

Habonim Dror Southern Africa

Jewish Outlook

Nokwala Educare

Rape Crisis Centre – Khayelitsha

Sonke Gender Justice

South African Council of Churches

TB Care Association

Treatment Action Campaign

Umtha Welanga

Zibonele Radio Station