UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Mon. called for the elimination of the roots of tuberculosis epidemic in struggling with the disease.(File Photo)

    In his message marking the World TB Day, which is observed annually on March 24, Ban said in order to prevent a virtually untreatable tuberculosis epidemic, "we must tackle the roots of the problem: poor services, poor supplies, poor prescribing and poor use of drugs."

    "This is a fight that can be won only with the collective commitment of millions of individuals -- donors and researchers, doctors and health care workers, patients and family members," he stressed, urging an intensified global response to save lives.

    The UN chief also announced that the United Nations will convene a Global Leaders' HIV/TB Forum this June in an effort to boost the collective capacity to drive down HIV-associated TB deaths.

    "In this effort, we can draw inspiration from a number of African countries which have shown that it is possible to scale-up services that reach out and screen TB patients for HIV, screen HIV-infected people for TB, and initiate care," he noted.

    Ban observed that these impressive advances are the result of the efforts of individuals, adding that "I am stopping TB" is not just the theme for this day, but a pledge people must uphold as they battle the epidemic throughout the year and into the future.

    World TB Day is designed to build public awareness that tuberculosis today remains an epidemic in much of the world, causing the deaths of several million people each year, mostly in the third world.

    This year's World TB Day is about celebrating the lives and stories of people affected by TB. The theme of this year's day is "I am Stopping TB".