Over 700 country delegates and TB experts came together at the 5th Conference of The Union Asia-Pacific Region, held in Sydney from 31 August to 2 September 2015. Governments, communities and scientists took stock of where the Asia-Pacific region is with regards to tackling TB and looked at the science and public health action that can make a difference in the coming years. The conference was opened by The Honourable Julie Bishop, Australia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, who highlighted Australia’s commitment to global health and TB through different mechanisms such as the Global Fund, product development partnerships and bilateral support to Papua New Guinea.
Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global TB Programme presented at the Conference on WHO’s new End TB Strategy during the first plenary session, and called for increased commitment from countries in the region to up the game for the drive to end TB. The Asia-Pacific region has the largest TB burden with two thirds of the 9 million people ill with TB. Australia has been among the leaders in support of the development of WHO’s new End TB Strategy and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. Dr Raviglione also addressed a symposium highlighting the role of low-incidence countries such as Australia in ending the global TB epidemic. He called for commitment to eliminate TB in Australia, support to research and continuous engagement internationally to help poorer high- incidence countries.
On the side-lines of the Asia-Pacific conference, parliamentarians from seven countries formed the Asia Pacific TB Caucus. Delegates from India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia formed the first parliamentary regional network under the Global TB Caucus established in 2014. The next meeting of the Global TB Caucus will be held in Cape Town, South Africa in conjunction with the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health.
In meetings with the Parliamentarians, as well as leading researchers of the Region including TB CRE- the Tuberculosis Centre of Research Excellence, Dr Raviglione emphasized the tremendous momentum that can come from high level political engagement, investment and more intensive collaboration across the TB research community. Dr Raviglione also addressed over 300 attendants including students and faculty at the University of Sydney about how to end the TB epidemic.