The report of the 16th meeting of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Tuberculosis (STAG-TB) is now online. STAG-TB is the overarching advisory body for WHO's work to end TB. At its meeting held 12-14 June 2016, 22 STAG-TB members were joined by over 180 other participants, including technical, financing, civil society and academic partners, as well as WHO staff from all 6 Regional Offices, 19 Country Offices and Headquarters.
“We have only 15 years to end the TB epidemic as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, and WHO has set out a strong immediate work plan to support countries to move forward,” said Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar, Director of the Institute for Global Health at University College London and Chair of STAG-TB for 2016-2018, “STAG-TB has provided advice to help WHO get the most out of its policy and technical support, its work in confronting the MDR-TB crisis, and in impact measurement and research promotion.”
“We are grateful to the world-class experts who make up STAG-TB for advising WHO so ably,” noted Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO’s Global TB Programme, “We finally have some powerful new diagnostics, drugs and information technologies to drive TB prevention and care, but without the needed financing, stronger health systems, social protection and much intensified further research we will not reach any target. The clock has started ticking and the global response to date is far from sufficient.”
The report provides the recommendations made by STAG-TB to WHO on nine major areas of new or ongoing work, among these:
- Defining transition pointers and performance indicators for countries to keep on track towards 2020 End TB milestones; including through the engagement of key stakeholders, within and beyond government;
- Planning for further support of national TB prevalence surveys, TB patient cost surveys and associated communication of results;
- Providing technical assistance and programmatic guidance to countries on the implementation of the new-recommended shorter MDR-TB regimen and new TB diagnostics;
- Convening a Partners Forum to support country implementation of WHO-recommended diagnostics and to prepare countries for the uptake of potential new transformational tools;
- Supporting countries with ”how-to” tools on managing latent TB infection and the need to further expand access to preventive therapy for high-risks groups;
- Enabling greater access to social protection by helping countries link TB patients to benefits under general social protection schemes, building on pathfinding experiences;
- Informing drug developers on the needed characteristics of TB treatment regimens;
- Pursuing the planned development of a roadmap to address zoonotic TB through the collaboration of WHO, The Union, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO);
- Strengthening the capacity of NGOs and other civil society organizations, and affected communities, as well as enabling National TB Programmes to dramatically increase the engagement of these partners.
About STAG-TB
STAG-TB, a body of experts appointed in their individual capacity by the WHO's Director-General, advises the World Health Organization on all its core functions in the TB response. Since 2001, it has provided critical guidance to WHO on its TB strategy, policy, technical assistance and monitoring and evaluation efforts. STAG-TB helped WHO frame and develop the End TB Strategy, which was approved by the World Health Assembly in May, 2014.