David Bushby (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the request of Senators Smith, Di Natale and Singh, I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) 24 March 2015 is World Tuberculosis Day,

(ii) World Tuberculosis Day is an annual event that marks the anniversary of German Nobel Laureate, Dr Robert Koch's 1882 discovery of the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB),

(iii) TB is contagious and airborne,

(iv) TB ranks as the world's second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent – people ill with TB disease can infect up to 10 to 15 people every year,

(v) the theme for World Tuberculosis Day in 2015 is 'Reach, Treat, Cure Everyone',

(vi) in 2013, 1.5 million people died from TB worldwide with 40 per cent of deaths occurring in countries in the Indo Pacific region,

(vii) TB is a disease linked to poverty and failing health systems, and an important health security threat in our region,

(viii) Papua New Guinea (PNG) has the highest rate of TB infection in the Pacific, with an estimated 39 000 total cases and 25 000 infections each year,

(ix) cases of multi drug resistant TB continue to increase worldwide, rising from 450 000 cases in 2012 to 480 000 cases in 2013, and in Port Moresby, the capital of PNG, almost 5 per cent of new TB diagnosis and 25 per cent of relapse cases are multi-drug resistant,

(x) TB is the leading cause of death among HIV positive people, given that HIV weakens the immune system and in combination with TB is lethal, each contributing to the other's progress, and

(xi) TB is considered to be a preventable and treatable disease, however current treatment tools, drugs, diagnostics and vaccines are outdated and ineffective; and

(b) recognises:

(i) Australia's resolve to continue to work towards combatting the challenge of TB in the region by working with partner countries to build strong and sustainable health systems, and by supporting the discovery, development and rapid uptake of new tools, interventions and strategies as recognized in the World Health Organization (WHO) End TB Strategy,

(ii) That the WHO End TB Strategy was endorsed by all member states at the 2014 World Health Assembly and aims to end the TB epidemic by 2035,

(iii) That the Australian Government funding of health and medical research is helping to bring new medicines, diagnostic tests and vaccines to market for TB and other neglected diseases,

(iv) That the development of new, simple and affordable treatment tools for TB and multi drug resistant TB is essential if the End TB Strategy goal to diagnose and treat all multi drug resistant TB patients is to be met, and

(v) the importance of building robust and sustainable health systems which ensure that new treatments and medical technologies reach patients, particularly those in greatest need.

Question agreed to.