2024 World Conference on Lung Health in Bali, Indonesia, has a special Community Connect session on 15th November (9am, Singaraja) on the theme: "Community leadership is building power and driving #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB initiative in high TB burden countries." This is hosted together by TB People (India), TB People (Zimbabwe), Global Call to Find all TB, Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT), Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media), Vital Strategies and CNS.
Unless we stop missing TB cases, we cannot end TB. That is why several TB survivors and affected communities came together to put the spotlight on: Treatment is prevention: Find all TB → treat all TB → prevent all TB → End TB
One of the key actions enshrined in the WHO Director General’s flagship initiative to Find.Treat.All (first launched in 2018) is to replace microscopy with upfront rapid molecular diagnostic test by 2027, because microscopy underperforms in diagnosing TB, and thereby misses TB cases. More importantly, the WHO initiative backed by the Stop TB Partnership and The Global Fund, calls for a people-centred and rights-based TB response, through community-led and gender-transformative interventions.
But the progress is way off the mark.
Early and accurate TB diagnosis is not only a critical gateway to TB care pathway, but also a public health and human rights imperative. It helps stop the spread of TB infection as well as reduces unnecessary human suffering and risk of untimely deaths due to TB.
Bringing “lab to the people” (and not people to the lab) is the first vital step towards finding TB. If we fail to do this, we will keep missing TB cases despite having the best of tools in the labs.
Also, we have to SCREEN EVERYONE for TB in high burden settings as a lot of people with TB are asymptomatic.
Additionally, we must ensure that the full cascade of TB care services is people centred.
TB survivors, affected communities and several other stakeholders came together on 3rd November 2023 to launch the Global Call to #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB. Two weeks later at the 2023 Union World Conference on Lung Health, The Union had endorsed the Global Call along with 500 other organisations and people from over 40 countries worldwide. In December 2023 at Africa's largest AIDS conference (22nd ICASA) in Harare, Zimbabwe, TB People (Zimbabwe) led the AFRICA LAUNCH of the Global Call to #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB.
At World Social Forum 2024 in February 2024, Global Call to #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB had organised a special session with Nepal's Health TV Online in Ministry of Heath and Population Nepal - which was the ONLY TB session at WSF.
In March 2024, we co-hosted the END TB DIALOGUES SUMMIT with over 700 participants worldwide who unequivocally called for finding all TB, treating all of them, and advance all TB prevention measures to STOP THE SPREAD.
In May 2024, The Global Call to #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB → #EndTB along with TB People (India), TB People (Zimbabwe) and CNS, with support from Molbio Diagnostics, co-hosted delegates from 34 countries including those from NTPs of Ministries of Health, other govt representatives, communities, media, private sector, and other stakeholders.
This session will launch a ROADMAP for 2024-2030 of people-centred ways to #FindAllTB → #TreatAllTB → #PreventAllTB
Speakers:
- Dr Dirgh Singh Bam, former Health Secretary, Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal; former Director of National TB programme of Nepal; and renowned chest physician
- Dr Samantha Tinsay, Municipal Health Officer, Bantayan Municipality, Bantayan, Cebu, Philippines
- Tariro Kutadza, founder leader of TB People (Zimbabwe) and coordinator, Africa Call to find all TB, member Union Community Advisory Panel
- Dr Tara Singh Bam, Board Director, Asia Pacific Cities Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT); Asia Pacific Director (Tobacco Control), Vital Strategies; and former Asia Pacific Director, The Union
- Lisbeth Aarup, Humana People to People India
- Dr Kuldeep Singh Sachdeva, former head (DDG) of Indian government's national TB programme and national AIDS programme; former Southeast Asia Director of The Union; and President-CMO of Molbio Diagnostics
- Amit Singh Gusain of TB People (India)
- Shobha Shukla, Founder Executive Director and Managing Editor of CNS; Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA); Coordinator of Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and SHE & Rights global initiative
Thanks
