Mobilizing Political Commitment Against TB

Top public health officials and experts in tuberculosis, asthma and other lung diseases from across the European Region of the World Health Organization.

They will discuss the control of lung diseases, and mainly how to help the European Region - the WHO region most affected by multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) - to contain and eradicate the disease.

The 4th European Regional Congress of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease will focus on how to strengthen and promote strategies to combat and prevent the spread of tuberculosis and its "super strains" of MDR-TB and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB).

The Congress will be instrumental in preparing for the WHO European Ministerial Forum "All Against Tuberculosis", to be held in Berlin on 22 October 2007. The Forum will aim at raising commitment to fight the disease on political and health agendas, following evidence in recent years that inadequate political support is hindering the battle against tuberculosis. It is expected that the Forum will adopt a European Regional Declaration on Tuberculosis, which will set out political and financial commitments and concrete steps for strengthening European public health systems and their ability to prevent the proliferation of MDR-TB and XDR-TB across borders. The negotiation of the draft Declaration is already under way.

The First Lady of Georgia, Mrs Sandra Roelofs, an outspoken Ambassador of the Stop TB Partnership, will attend the Congress in Riga. Mrs Roelofs is chairperson of the national coordination body for projects of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in Georgia.

The Congress organizers have planned a series of activities for journalists. All media representatives are welcome to send their accreditations for the following events:

* Press conference on Tuesday 26 June from 11:00 to 12.30.

* Journalists workshop, supported by the Ministry of Health of Latvia, the State Agency of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases of Latvia and the New Jersey Medical School Global Tuberculosis Institute (USA), on Wednesday 27 June from 11:00 to 17:00.

* "Meet the experts" meeting for journalists on Wednesday 27 June at 17:00.

About the WHO European Ministerial Forum "All Against Tuberculosis"

Tuberculosis was declared an emergency in the WHO European Region in 2005. Urgent action is still required in order to progress as rapidly as possible towards halving the prevalence and mortality rates by 2015, in line with the Millennium Development Goals.

To ensure that tuberculosis is granted high priority on health agendas, and to boost financial commitments to improving its control, the WHO Regional Office for Europe is organizing the Ministerial Forum "All Against Tuberculosis" in Berlin on 22 October 2007, hosted by the Government of Germany. The Forum will seek to:

* strengthen political commitment to implementing the WHO Stop TB Strategy throughout the Region and to including tuberculosis control within the strengthening of health systems;

* obtain commitment from all Member States to ensure full and appropriate financing of tuberculosis control, in line with World Health Assembly resolution WHA 58.14 on sustainable financing for tuberculosis prevention and control;

* adopt a European Regional Declaration on Tuberculosis; and

* endorse the Stop TB Partnership for Europe.

Over 445 000 new cases and 66 000 deaths caused by tuberculosis were reported in the WHO European Region in 2005 alone. The rates of MDR-TB in the countries of central and eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States are estimated to be among the highest in the world. The Region also reports the highest rate of treatment failure (7%).
source:www.emaxhealth.com