The Executive Director of Stop TB Partnership, Lucica Ditiu, hailed the conference as critical to exchanging firsthand knowledge on what TB patients are going through around the world.
The meeting came at a time when a landmark case in which two TB patients in Kenya were imprisoned for two months and released following the intervention of civil society groups. Kelin, representing the petitioners, is seeking a determination on the issue. The conference, which was held on 3-5 November, coincided with the last day of submission for the petition. The Judge set December 17th for the ruling of the case.
During the forum, individuals from key populations for whom the effect of TB can be particularly profound: children, miners, people who use drugs, mobile populations (such as migrants and refugees), prisoners, urban slum dwellers and the rural poor – shared their experiences.
According to the Stop TB Partnership’s Global Plan to End TB 2016-2020, the Paradigm Shift for key populations in TB are those that have increased exposure to TB due to where they live or work, have limited access to quality services and/or are at increased risk of TB because of biological or behavioral factors that compromise immune function.
The meeting aimed at building on this knowledge from the ground up to inform the development of six handbooks for advocates, program implementers and other key stakeholders that engage and work with key populations in TB.
During the conference, The Stop TB Partnership launched ‘United to End TB: Every Word Counts’, the first language guide for partners and stakeholders working on tuberculosis. “We will not end TB unless people with TB have a lead role as advocates, as educators, and as leaders; but too often stigma and a huge number of other barriers are preventing people with TB from stepping forward”, said Dr. Lucica Ditiu
“Unfortunately, stigmatizing language is still commonplace in research and practice and the TB community is far behind the AIDS community in embracing language that respects the dignity of people with tuberculosis”, said Ms. Blessina Kumar, Chair of the Global Coalition of TB Activists. “Stigma keeps people with TB in the shadows and is a key reason that over three million with TB go undiagnosed and untreated each year.”
The Stop TB Partnership hosted the event sponsored by the Global Fund. The event will now be held yearly.
