Watch the Parliamentary Debate on Tuberculosis
September 3rd, 2018, written by Pally Khan
On June 7th, MPs in Parliament dedicated a House of Commons Chamber debate to TB for the first time in 65 years.
The debate is now available to watch in its entirety on the Parliament Live website, or you can read the Hansard transcript.
Nick Herbert, other MPs and Minister Baldwin praised the collaborative work of UK TB stakeholders to bring TB rates down and sheer hard work of those on the clinical frontline.
Louise Ellman (Liverpool, Riverside) highlighted research by Liverpool University and the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Victoria Prentice (Banbury) spoke about vaccines being developed at Oxford University. Additionally, Stephen Gethins, MP for North East Fife, was unable to attend the debate on 7th June but mentioned St Andrew’s TB research during the European Withdrawal Bill debate held the following week.
Following the debate, the House passed the following motion:
“That this House recognises that tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing 1.7 million people a year; notes that at the current rate of progress, the world will not reach the Sustainable Development Goal target of ending TB by 2030 for another 160 years; believes that without a major change of pace 28 million people will die needlessly before 2030 at a global economic cost of £700 billion; welcomes the forthcoming UN high-level meeting on TB in New York on 26 September as an unprecedented opportunity to turn the tide against this terrible disease; further notes that the UN General Assembly Resolution encourages all member states to participate in the high-level meeting at the highest possible level, preferably at the level of heads of state and government; and calls on the Government to renew its efforts in the global fight against TB, boost research into new drugs, diagnostics and a vaccine, and for the Prime Minister to attend the UN high-level meeting.”
Thank you, to everyone involved with TB and working to improve TB control. Together we are making a difference and this is being noted by politicians.
