Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank both of you for being here today with us.
Canada has one of the lowest TB rates in the world, so it may come as a shock to learn that every year, as Ms. Upperton said, nine million people are infected with tuberculosis. The disease takes the lives of about 1.4 million people annually, many of whom are never diagnosed. The Government of Canada, as Ms. Brown said, has committed to not only further reducing rates of TB in Canada but also tackling this tragic disease in other parts of the world.
In 2009, as Ms. Brown said, Canada pledged over $120 million to the Stop TB Partnership to found the TB REACH initiative, a mechanism focused on using community-driven programming to promote early and increased detection of TB cases and to ensure their timely treatment. TB REACH has also so far supported about 109 projects in 44 countries. Our Prime Minister announced in December that our government would contribute $650 million over three years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, meaning that thousands of people across the world will receive the life-saving treatments they need, and we will move even closer to eradicating TB in our lifetime.
In your opinion how can western countries or governments best help in the fight against TB?