ACHEST’S DR. ERIKI WINS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

The recognition plaqueACHEST Consultant, Dr. Peter Eriki, received national recognition for his outstanding contribution to the fight against Tuberculosis.
Dr. Eriki, a TB and chest specialist, was the first Ugandan manager of the National TB Program (NTBP). He also served as a Regional Adviser for TB and Leprosy based in Congo Brazzaville; then as a World Health Organization (WHO) Country Representative in Angola, Kenya, and Nigeria.
Before his current consulting role at ACHEST, Dr. Eriki worked as Director Health Systems and Deputy Executive Director. He also served as a President of the Uganda National Association of Community and Occupational Health (UNACOH)
Dr. Eriki received the award from the Health Minister Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng during the national celebrations to mark World TB Day on March 24, 2021 in Moroto. Commenting on this achievement, Dr. Eriki says it is very humbling to be recognized when one is still alive”
According to the WHO-Afro, (https://www.afro.who.int/regional-director/speeches-messages/world-tb-day-2021 ), there were an estimated 2.5 million TB cases in the African Region in 2019, accounting for 25% of the global burden. More than 500,000 African lives are lost to this disease every year. This is inexcusable when TB screening and treatment is available for free in all countries.
The theme of World TB Day 2021 - ‘The Clock is Ticking’ –conveys the sense that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments to end TB made by global leaders. This is especially critical in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that has put End TB progress at risk.
Dr. Eriki had this to say on prevention: “TB is an airborne infection, spread through coughing, laughing, singing, talking, etc. It's curable. The best prevention method is finding all the sick infectious people and putting them on treatment and encouraging them to complete treatment until cured."