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In TB fight, business and society gain from corporate responsibility

By Corey Cooper: 0 Comments Print E-mail China.org.cn, March 26, 2011

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Domestic and international medical technology firms are developing exciting new tools to detect and treat tuberculosis. Now they can use their knowledge and resources to make a larger impact on public health in China.

Dr. John Tedstrom, President and CEO of the Global Business Council on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, addresses corporate leaders at the TB Forum hosted by the GBC in Beijing on March 22, 2011. [Pierre Chen / China.org.cn]

At a 'TB Forum' hosted on March 22 by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, representatives of over 20 companies and nonprofit organizations addressed China's growing concern about TB infection and discussed how companies could get involved in awareness, prevention and control efforts. The event preceded 2011 World Tuberculosis day, observed internationally on March 24.

A latent form of the bacteria that can cause tuberculosis are found in 550 million people in China, or 41 percent of the population, said Chen Mingting, vice director of the National Center for Tuberculosis at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. About 1 million cases of tuberculosis are reported each year in China, many of which are resistant to common treatments. Hundreds of thousands of people in China suffer from the disease, especially working age and elderly people living in rural areas, Chen said.

The private sector can partner with the CDC's TB control efforts, Chen said, by researching and developing new treatments and vaccines, promoting awareness and education, and caring for and supporting patients.

Presentations given by two representatives from the health care technology sector at the forum echoed Chen's spirit of cooperation.

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