The World Health Organization (WHO) welcomes the new decree from Brazil’s President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, regarding the creation of the Interministerial Committee for the Elimination of Tuberculosis and Other Socially Determined Diseases (CIEDS).
“Brazil has made rapid progress in the last six months by bringing together nine ministries to prioritize the end of TB and address the main determinants of the epidemic,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, director of WHO’s Global TB Program. “This will serve as an inspiration for other leaders. We urge countries to advance their efforts to strengthen multisectoral collaboration and build an effective accountability system for ending TB.”
The Interministerial Committee will be coordinated by the Ministry of Health, headed by the esteemed Minister Dr. Nísia Trindade Lima (photo), and will include representatives from the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against 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 eliminate TB and address the main determinants of the TB epidemic, including poverty, undernutrition, and other vulnerabilities affecting key populations.