Jim Dobbin signs call for action to mark World TB Day

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Jim Dobbin MP

This World TB Day, 24 March, parliamentarians from around the world have come together to call for renewed action against the disease. The statement has been signed by over 130 representatives from across the G7 countries and the European Parliament.

Jim Dobbin MP, one of the first MPs to sign the statement, said: “TB has killed more people than any other infectious disease in history and still kills 1.3 million people every single year. The only way that we’re going to beat the disease is if we have coordinated, global action.”

Members of the UK House of Commons and House of Lords make up over half of all the politicians who have signed the statement, reflecting the fact that TB remains a significant problem here in the UK. Parts of the country have rates to match those found in some of the worst affected countries in the world, and London has the highest rates of any capital city in Western Europe.

“People just don’t appreciate what a problem TB really is,” said Mr Dobbin. “People often think that it’s a disease that is only a problem in other countries, but it’s a problem here in the UK as well. TB really is a global killer.”

Prior to entering parliament Mr Dobbin worked in an infectious disease hospital.“One of the tragic things about TB is that we’ve hardly had any new treatments for over four decades.” Explained Mr Dobbin. “We use pretty much the same drug regimen now to treat TB that we did when I was isolating the organism in the lab. The terrible thing is that the disease has moved on, there are new, drug-resistant strains which are much more difficult to treat, but we’re still left with the same drugs.”

“There is a lot we need to do to tackle the disease, but it all starts with political commitment.” Said Aaron Oxley, Executive Director of RESULTS UK, an NGO which works on TB. “We’ve never had so many politicians from across the world sign onto one call for action. This is a significant moment in the fight against TB.”