For World TB Day 2007, a special photographic exhibition was staged at the United Nations headquarters in New York. A World Free of TB aims to raise awareness on a deadly disease that kills one person every 20 seconds, even though TB is preventable and curable.

The exhibition featured 35 images from the acclaimed photographer, James Nachtwey. The images depict TB patients and the dedicated doctors and health workers who offer care, support and supervision under often difficult circumstances.

Though many people consider TB a disease of the past, 1.6 million people died from TB and there were 8.8 million new TB cases in A World Free of TB illustrates the realities of the epidemic today and its devastation on communities in some of the world's poorest countries.

The exhibition was organized by the World Health Organization, the Stop TB Partnership, and the UN Department of Public Information.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and the UN Special Envoy to Stop TB, Jorge Sampaio, also participated in events to highlight World TB Day and the exhibition. The Secretary-General, in his World TB Day message, urged global leaders to make 2007 the year of scaled up action against all forms of TB, anywhere and everywhere.

The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Asha-Rose Migiro, opened the exhibition and was invited by WHO Stop TB Director, Mario Raviglione, to sign the Call to Stop TB which urges governments, organizations and individuals to prioritize TB control.

More than 26 million TB patients have been treated under DOTS programmes since The Global Plan to Stop TB outlines the actions required to treat an additional 50 million people with TB by 2015.

In its review of the exhibition, The New York Times wrote: "Along with bravery and perseverance, Mr Nachtwey’s pictorial virtue makes him a model war photographer. He doesn’t mix up his priorities. His goal is to bear witness, because somebody must, and his pictures, devised to infuriate and move people to action, are finally about us, and our concern or lack of it, at least as much they are about him and his obvious talents." March 28, 2007

TB is a leading killer among HIV-infected people with weakened immune systems. Mr Nachtwey's photographs feature many patients who are co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV.

The exhibition also featured a brief historical perspective on the disease and portraits of more than 100 leading figures who suffered or died from TB.

Some 100,000 people visited A World Free of TB between March 22 nd and April 25 th 2007 in New York.

The exhibition was conceived by United Nations Messenger of Peace, Anna Cataldi, who is pictured above with the photographer, James Nachtwey The following organizations and companies provided generous support to A World Free of TB: Astra-Zeneca Beckton, Dickinson and Company Eiken Chemical Co Ltd Eli Lilly and Company Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics Global Alliance for TB Drug Development Merck & Co Inc Mérieux Alliance Novartis Roche United Nations Foundation The project team would like to thank in particular: Designers - Modern Identity designers Graphic printers - Duggal Color Labs DVD and Billboards donated by Eli Lilly and Company Brochure and Poster printing by Beckton and Dickinson and Company

For more information about global TB control and the work of WHO Stop TB Department and the Stop TB Partnership, please go to: or