PRINCETON, N.J. — The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today announced a collaboration with the World Health Organization''s (WHO) Stop TB Department for a two-year pilot initiative to strengthen community based prevention, care and control of tuberculosis (TB) including co-infection with HIV in South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to a press release.
These five countries collectively represented more than 13 percent of global TB and more than one-third of the TB/HIV co-infection burden in 2009.
The initiative is expected to be a catalyst in boosting the meaningful engagement of non-governmental and community organizations, a key objective in the WHO''s Stop TB strategy, and will draw on technical assistance through community care experts from the Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation''s SECURE THE FUTURE® program.
"Bristol-Myers Squibb''s commitment to help communities prevail over serious diseases is embodied in our Foundation''s mission to address health disparities and empower communities," said Lamberto Andreotti, chief executive officer, Bristol-Myers Squibb.