MIN/Sp/AU/CAMH3/6 TB Page 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Referent TB control indicators and targets A number of targets have been set and commitments made with direct relevance to TB Control in the African continent over the past 10 years. In 1991, the World Health Assembly (WHA) adopted a resolution urging countries to detect 70% of new smear-positive TB cases arising annually, and successfully treating 85% of them by 2005. These targets remain relevant for all counties that have not yet attained these targets. In 2000, World leaders established the Millennium Development Goals that seek to halt by 2015 and begin to reverse the incidence of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases. Incidence, prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis, and proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under DOTS as specified by the WHA were re-iterated. By way of operationalising the TB related MDG targets, the Stop TB Partnership confirmed the WHA targets for case detection and successful treatment. In addition, it called for 50% reduction in global TB burden relative to 1990 levels by 2015, and elimination of TB by 2050. In April 2001, the African Heads of State and Government adopted a declaration on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Other related Infectious Diseases (ORID) calling upon member states to strive to allocate 15% of national budgets to the improvement of the health sector, and to allocate appropriate and adequate portions of this amount for the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID. Confirming the gravity of the TB epidemic in Africa, the 55th session of the Ministers of Health of the WHO African Region (2005) declared TB an emergency in the Region calling upon member states to implement urgent and extra-ordinary actions to rapidly improve tuberculosis case detection and treatment success-rates; and accelerate implementation of interventions to combat the TB/HIV epidemic, including increased access to ARVs by doublyinfected patients; In May 2006, Heads of State and Government of the African Union held a Special Summit on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to review the status of implementation of the 2000 and 2001 Declarations and Frameworks of action to Roll Back Malaria, and the 2001 Abuja Summit on HIV/AIDS, TB and ORID. They adopted the “Abuja Call for Accelerated Action towards Universal Access to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria services” that pledged collective dedication to a comprehensive remedial effort anchored on an implementation mechanism that responds to the continent’s health and developmental challenges and imperatives. The Summit reaffirmed previous global and regional targets for TB control as well as called for universal