March against TB. Photo � D. Gobbett

Fighting TB-HIV: OSI Sponsors Events at the 38th World Conference on Lung Health

Date:

November 8, 2007

Contact:

Paul Silva
psilva@sorosny.org

The 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health was the first time in the union’s history that the conference was held on the African continent. This move is particularly significant as Southern Africa continues to experience an extremely large and deadly tuberculosis epidemic, fuelled by high levels of HIV infection. During the conference, OSI supported the first-ever march against TB on November 8, 2007. About 5,000 people marched through the streets of Cape Town, South Africa to demand better TB education, prevention, and treatment. The march was a joint initiative of the Treatment Action Campaign and the AIDS & Rights Alliance of Southern Africa.

In addition to the march, OSI’s Public Health Watch convened several educational and advocacy events around TB and HIV co-infection for the conference.

Time for Change: New Approaches for Managing Drug-Resistant TB in Regions with High HIV Rates
November 9, 2007
13:00 – 15:30 satellite session
Organized by OSI’s Public Health Watch in collaboration with the Treatment Action Campaign, Médecins Sans Frontières, the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, and Partners In Health, the satellite session highlighted the challenges of diagnosing and treating drug-resistant tuberculosis in southern Africa and other regions with high HIV rates, and underlined the need to explore novel approaches in such settings. Speakers included Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of Stop TB Department, World Health Organization; Zackie Achmat, Chair, Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa; Gregg Gonsalves, Coordinator, AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa, South Africa; Dr. Salmaan Keshavjee, Deputy Country Director, Partners in Health Lesotho; Dr. Eric Goemaere, Head of Mission, Médecins Sans Frontières, South Africa.

Lessons Learnt: Community Participation in Provision of TB Services and in Operational Research on TB-HIV
November 11, 2007
14:00 – 16:15 symposium
This symposium examined opportunities for community participation in the strengthening of TB services and in operational research on TB-HIV, with lessons learnt from Bangladesh, Thailand, and Brazil. Chairs: Emily Bell, Project Officer, OSI Public Health Watch, USA; and Ezio Santos Filho, lawyer and longtime HIV/AIDS and TB activist, Brazil. Speakers: Dr. Amara Soonthorndhada, Deputy Director, Institute for Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Thailand; and Jalaluddin Ahmed, Program Head, BRAC Health Program, Bangladesh
Listen to a webcast of this session on the Kaiser Network website.

Community Monitoring of National TB and TB-HIV Policies in Africa
November 12, 2007
09:00 – 11:15 symposium
This symposium explored two models for civil society monitoring of national TB and TB-HIV policies, both of which have achieved measurable success.
Coordinator: Emily Bell, Project Officer, OSI Public Health Watch, USA. Chairs: Javid Syed, TB/HIV Project Director, Treatment Action Group (TAC), USA; and Nomfundo Eland, TAC, South Africa. Speakers: Olayide Akanni, Senior Program Officer, Journalists Against AIDS, Nigeria; Jamillah Mwanjisi, Co-Founder, Media Bank, Kenya; Carol Nawina Maimbolwa Nyirenda, Treatment Advocacy and Literacy Campaign, Zambia; Nelson Juma Otwoma, Kenya; Jacob Kayombo, Tanzania.

Vulnerable Populations Affected by TB and TB-HIV
November 12, 2007
14:00 – 16:15 symposium
This symposium addressed how TB and TB-HIV affects a vulnerable population: women. Speakers explored the role of gender and gender-related stigma in accessing TB diagnosis and treatment services. Chairs: Emily Bell, Project Officer, OSI Public Health Watch, USA; and Helena Choi, Project Officer, OSI Public Health Watch, USA. Speakers: Jamillah Mwanjisi, Co-Founder, Media Bank, Kenya; Faruque Ahmed, Director, BRAC Health Program, Bangladesh; Khuat Thi Hai Oanh, Co-Director, Institute for Social Development Studies, Vietnam; and Alasdair Reid, HIV/TB Advisor, UNAIDS, Switzerland.