March 24, Mombasa – U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Robert F. Godec joined the Cabinet Secretary of Kenya’s Ministry of Health James Macharia to mark World Tuberculosis Day by launching the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) TB Accelerated Response and Care activity.  The U.S. Government works with the Government of Kenya and local partners to prevent and control tuberculosis (TB) in Kenya.  USAID is investing Ksh 3.5 billion ($38M) in the TB Accelerated Response and Care activity to expand access to quality TB services in all 47 Kenyan counties and for all forms of TB.

The U.S. Government has been a long-time partner with the Government of Kenya in contributing to controlling TB through programs funded by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), USAID, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Kenya was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to surpass the World Health Organization’s tuberculosis targets by detecting 83 percent of the total estimated number of cases and successfully treating 86 percent of patients diagnosed with TB.  Despite these achievements, TB remains a significant cause of illness and death in Kenya.

TB Accelerated Response and Care capitalizes on Kenyan expertise and know-how to significantly reduce the burden of TB in Kenya by 2018.  This will be accomplished by increasing the number of new cases found, strengthening lab services to provide diagnosis of the disease, investing in technology to improve TB and HIV data management, and focusing on children and high-risk populations.

“The U.S. Government looks forward to our continued partnership with the Government of Kenya in fighting tuberculosis, building on previous achievements to ensure every Kenyan has access to diagnosis and treatment for TB.  Working together, we can eliminate TB as a threat to the Kenyan public,” said Godec. 

The U.S. Agency for International Development is the U.S. government agency responsible for administering civilian foreign aid.