First lady Peng leads fight against tuberculosis

Peng Liyuan (C), China's first lady and the World Health Organization's goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, attends an event to raise awareness, in Beijing on March 22, 2016, ahead of World Tuberculosis Day that is marked on March 24 each year. [Photo/nhfpc.gov.cn]

Peng, a well-known Chinese soprano, was appointed as WHO goodwill ambassador for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in 2011.

Her efforts promoting public health date back 10 years. In China, she became the health ambassador for HIV/AIDS prevention for the Ministry of Health in January 2006 and the national ambassador for TB control and prevention in March 2007.

The incidence rate declined to 63.4 per 100,000, compared with 71.1 per 100,000 in 2011. The mortality rate dropped by 23 percent during the same period, said Wang, who cited a nationwide TB surveillance network.