Conference Chair: Dr Margot Uys
Theme : STEP UP - Let's embrace all to end TB!
For the last few centuries TB has caused millions of deaths. Over the last
twenty years HIV, as terrible disease twin, accelerated both TB and HIVrelated
morbidity and mortality amongst affected populations. Since the
availability of ART treatment regimens for HIV and co-infected patients,
dramatic progress has been made towards better TB treatment outcomes
and elimination of HIV. The TB programme on its own has also made steady
progress over the last decade resulting in the declaration of the WHO End TB
Strategy of 2014 which was approved by the World Health Assembly and
called for a 90% reduction in TB deaths, 80% reduction in the TB incidence
rate by 2030, compared with 2015 and in addition a reduction of the number
of households that experience catastrophic costs as a result of TB disease.
Now, three years later, major advances in TB prevention and care have been
made, especially in the six high burden countries (India, Indonesia, China,
Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa) yet an accelerated approach is needed to
end TB, despite above 80% treatment success rates for drug sensitive TB, to
ensure a more dramatic annual decline in TB incidence and prevention of TB
deaths. Furthermore multidrug-resistant TB with an estimated 480 000 cases
worldwide and a treatment success rate of just over 50% requires focussed
interventions and an aggressive roll-out of available new drug regimens. The
introduction of the WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic test for detection of
TB and rifampicin-resistant TB (Xpert MTB/RIF assay) paved the way for a new
era of novel diagnostic methods, yet programmatic benefits and adaptations
to cash in on the advantage of rapid diagnosis is still lagging behind. South
Africa has become the leader in the introduction of INH preventive therapy
for people living with HIV for latent TB infection. Leadership is also required
in other fields affecting progress, i.e. TB research, universal access to care
and treatment, continued and energetic efforts for TB/HIV integration and TB
financing.
Join us in stepping up strategies and activities to end the TB epidemic once
and for all in Durban from 12 to 15 June 2018.
We look forward to welcoming
you there!