Archbishop Tutu, who will be in New York to promote his new book, No Future Without Forgiveness, will attend the Doctors of the World benefit to raise awareness of South Africa's tuberculosis epidemic. Archbishop Tutu, himself a survivor of TB, will speak about Doctors of the World's South African TB control initiative. Former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins will be among the guests, and will also make remarks at the event.
Tuberculosis is the second most deadly infectious disease in the world today.
South Africa now has one of the highest rates of TB, with more than one-half of its 42 million people infected with the disease, as estimated by the World Health Organization. Ineffective treatment strategies and social inequities of the apartheid era have transformed TB into a devastating epidemic. Proceeds from the October 5 benefit will support the organization's Anti-TB Partnership Project in South Africa. MAC Cosmetics is a Principal Sponsor of the Doctors of the World event. Founded in the U.S. in 1990, Doctors of the World is a nonprofit, humanitarian organization based in New York.