CDC and Atlanta Airport Launch Exhibit to Highlight Global Work to End TB and HIV

In commemoration of World TB Day, CDC and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport unveiled a digital photo exhibit in the “world’s busiest airport” – highlighting the work CDC experts and partners are leading to end TB and HIV around the world.

The “Faces from the Frontlines” exhibit features powerful portraits by award-winning photographer Thom Pierce. The images highlight the voices, innovations, and tireless efforts of those leading CDC’s global HIV and TB response. The exhibit also offers visitors a snapshot into the data-driven work CDC and partners spearhead around the world as part of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the U.S. government response to the global TB epidemic.

Despite being preventable, TB and HIV are two of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, claiming millions of lives each year. Nearly 2 billion people around the world are infected with the TB bacteria, and approximately 10 million people are diagnosed with TB disease each year. Worldwide, 40 million people are living with HIV.

“CDC has long been on the frontlines, accelerating global progress in the fight against all forms of TB, including co-infection of HIV and TB,” said Dr. Anand Date, chief of Global Tuberculosis Branch in CDC’s Division of Global HIV & TB. “There is nothing more powerful than seeing the faces and hearing the voices of those at the forefront of this work worldwide.”

To capture these images, Pierce traveled with CDC staff to South Africa to communities with some of the greatest burden of TB and HIV in the world. The exhibit also features portraits taken by CDC’s Brittany K. Moore, MPH, in the Southern African kingdom of Eswatini, a country that battled a severe TB epidemic while at the epicenter of the global HIV pandemic. Each photo is accompanied by stories of the individuals featured in the exhibit.

Two Epidemics. One Mission.

Untreated, TB and HIV can be devastating. Together, they are a deadly combination. HIV weakens the immune systems of those infected, making them even more susceptible to TB. In fact, TB is the number one cause of death among people living with HIV.

CDC experts are on the ground in more than 45 countries and regions around the world, bringing a combination of scientific and technical expertise and on-the-ground experience to bear in the fight against HIV. CDC also works side by side with partner governments in more than 25 high burden countries to find, cure, and prevent all forms of TB, and help sustain country efforts.

An Ongoing Partnership

CDC’s partnership with Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport began with the unveiling of a physical exhibit in 2019. By leveraging the power of images and stories to highlight this lifesaving work on a platform as far-reaching as the Atlanta airport, the collaboration aims to increase awareness of the global HIV and TB burden and highlight the need for continued momentum in the fight against these diseases

The exhibits are part of the Division’s broader data storytelling effort, which blends data, images, film, and narratives to communicate impact.

“Faces from the Frontlines” will be on display in the International Terminal – Concourse F – through April 24. If you’re not planning an international trip anytime soon, you can still access the stories and images from the exhibit here. To learn more about CDC’s efforts to fight TB and HIV around the world, visit www.cdc.gov/globalhivtb/.