40th Union World Conference on Lung Health

3-7 December 2009, Cancun, Mexico

The 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) was held in Cancún, Mexico, from 3 to 7 December 2009. Some 2000 delegates from 106 countries met to discuss the latest research results and best practices in lung health. With the theme “Poverty and lung health”, The Union’s aim was to take measure of the progress made so far towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals in the areas of TB, HIV/AIDS, childhood pneumonia, asthma and tobacco-related diseases.

The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) launched The Year of the Lung, calling upon partners to offer widespread support to the more than 160 nations that have ratified the first-ever international public health treaty to demand increased research funding, develop tools and treatments ranging from new diagnostics to new vaccines and medicines, strengthen health systems, and improve legislation and understanding of the risks and symptoms of lung diseases.

FIND held its 2nd Scientific Forum on 4 December 2009, during which the latest news about the FIND pipeline was presented. Diagnostic technologies developed by FIND and partners which are currently being rolled out were described, as well as others that will soon follow and help support a revolution in TB diagnosis. The Stop TB Partnership Working Group on New Diagnostics took place on 2 December 2009. Conference participants and FIND staff also had an opportunity to meet at the FIND booth throughout the conference.

Hojoon Sohn, Health Economist and FIND consultant, presenting during poster session

Dr. Pamela Nabeta, FIND Associate Medical Officer, at poster presentations

Other conference highlights included:

Advocate’s Corner

On 5 December, Dr. Heidi Albert, Senior Scientist (FIND Uganda) and Dr. Pamela Nabeta, Associate Medical Officer (FIND Geneva) participated in a Talk to the Advocates session titled “How to Effectively Involve Communities in TB Clinical Trials”. They were joined by representatives of the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance).

This informal discussion, which focused on new tools, permitted participants to give their perspectives about the challenges faced as well as the strategies that have worked well in the uptake of new tools. The session also aimed to identify steps that can be taken to strengthen community participation in clinical trials.

These sessions were coordinated by TB Alert on behalf of the Stop TB Partnership's Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization (ACSM) Working Group.

Media

Dr. Mark Perkins, FIND Chief Scientific Officer, gave a presentation entitled New Tools for Recognizing TB during The Lung Health Program, a two-day pre-conference training course on TB and other lung diseases for journalists and global activists. The event was organized by The Union & The Journalist-to-Journalist Project of the National Press Foundation, a U.S.-based non-profit journalism education organization. 

The STOP TB Partnership’s annual Kochon prize, which recognizes achievements in the fight against tuberculosis, was awarded to Ms Lucy Chesire and Professor Stewart Cole. A leading international advocate, Ms Chesire has played a critical role in promoting awareness worldwide of the dangers of TB/HIV co-infection. A nutritionist by profession, she learned she was HIV-positive in 1992 and was the first female health professional in Kenya to publicly acknowledge her status. Professor Cole, Director of the Global Health Institute at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, is responsible for groundbreaking research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the microorganism that causes TB.

The winner of the Stop TB Partnership’s Images to Stop Tuberculosis Award was David Rochkind this year. The award, which is supported by the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership, seeks to obtain outstanding photos depicting tuberculosis prevention and treatment and community activity to raise awareness about the disease. Mr Rochkind's portfolio, which depicts the daily tragedies caused by tuberculosis among gold miners in South Africa, was selected by an international jury from among 24 entries. He will receive a grant of $5000 to produce a photo essay on tuberculosis and $5000 in prize money.

Professor Digambar Behera, an Indian chest physician who helped persuade his colleagues to support the guidelines of India’s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in the 1990s, and Dr. Rod Escombe, a young researcher who has studied the impact of natural ventilation on TB transmission, received the 2009 Union Awards on 4 December 2009 during the World Conference.


 

 

Next Union Conference

The 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health will take place in Berlin, Germany, from 11 to 15 November 2010.