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Response on Results UK - TB/HIV Campaign

July 2008

I would like to thank you for your interest in HIV and TB co-infection and the work of the UK Government on this issue.

The Global Leaders’ Forum on HIV/TB was an important meeting that sought to highlight the issue of HIV and TB co-infection before the High-Level Meeting on AIDS and to galvanise the international response to tackle HIV and TB co-infection.

The UK Government supports the principles in the document produced at the meeting, “Call for Action on HIV/TB”, including the need to scale-up efforts to deliver universal access to TB and HIV prevention, treatment, care and support services by 2015; the need to strengthen health systems and services; the integration of health services, including HIV and TB; and to increase investment and facilitate research to promote the development of better tools for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB.

I want to assure you that the UK Government is fully committed to tackle HIV and TB co-infection. Our updated AIDS strategy “Achieving Universal Access – the UK’s strategy for halting and reversing the spread of HIV in the developing world” supports the integration of HIV and AIDS services with other health services, including TB. “Achieving Universal Access” is available here.

You may already be aware that one of the commitments in “Achieving Universal Access”, was a commitment to spend £6 billion over seven years to 2015 to strengthen health systems and services, including the integration of HIV and TB services. We are also committed to work with international partners to support countries with health worker shortages to provide at least 2.3 doctors, nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, through supporting plans that identify the appropriate mix of health workers. This will help build the capacity of health systems to manage HIV and TB co-infection issues.

In addition to these recent commitments, the UK Government has made a long-term commitment of £1 billion (2007-2015) to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and a 20-year commitment to the international drugs purchase facility UNITAID (2006-2026), which is helping to increase access to and affordability of HIV and TB drugs.

Our Research Strategy for 2008-2013 outlines how DFID will double its investment in research, including health, to £220 million a year by 2010. As regards to health, the new research strategy includes a focus on developing drugs and vaccines for HIV and AIDS, TB, malaria and other diseases that most affect poor people. DFID provides support for research and development efforts around new TB drugs and diagnostics, including through the World Health Organization and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development.

I hope this is helpful.

Gillian Merron
Parliamentary under Secretary of State Department for International Development