The pace of progress in addressing TB in children and adolescents remains slow, especially in ensuring access to TB prevention and care. To address this critical issue, WHO convened a global consultation on 26-28 November in Hanoi, Viet Nam, bringing together over 100 stakeholders from across 12 countries including national TB programmes, paediatric societies, technical and financial partners as well as civil society. The consultation was hosted by the Viet Nam Government. Viet Nam is making positive strides towards ending TB and is a pathfinder for other countries in the world, both for TB implementation and research.
In opening remarks, Dr Kidong Park, WHO Representative to Viet Nam, thanked the national TB programme of Viet Nam for their leadership and collaboration with WHO in organizing the consultation. He highlighted that, every child has the right to a safe and healthy childhood. Yet, TB, the world’s top infectious killer, continues to violate this very right. He said, “The case detection and prevention gaps in children and adolescents are larger than in adults. Finding all children and adolescents affected by TB is an urgent priority, particularly in high TB burden countries.”
Other key speakers at the opening included high-level representation from Viet Nam including Prof Dr Nguyen Viet Nhung, NTP Manager Viet Nam, Dr Tauhidul Islam, TB Regional Adviser, WHO Western Pacific Region, Ms Annemieke Brands, WHO Global TB Programme and Ms. Nguyễn Ánh Phượng, a passionate TB Champion who survived a serious form of TB herself when she was an adolescent.
Ms. Nguyễn Ánh Phượng, emphasized that, “TB is preventable and curable. I will not allow that another child and family will go through what I went through, and I will work towards making this a reality.” She also pointed out that children affected by TB and their families need access to nutritional support as well as mental health services.
The consultation was an important knowledge sharing platform for high-burden countries. Participants developed country action plans that included key components from the Roadmap towards ending TB in children and adolescents. The development of the action plans is timely, as several countries are currently in the process of developing new five-year national TB strategic plans as well as funding applications, including for Global Fund grants. Technical, financial and research organizations as well as paediatric associations, community and civil society representatives at the consultation also indicated how they could support countries in the implementation of these action plans.
“Strengthening collaboration between the national TB programme and other stakeholders like the private sector, paediatric associations, civil society and communities is key to finding all children and adolescents affected by TB and to prevent TB among children who are at risk” said Farhana Amanullah, Chair of the Child and Adolescent TB Working Group.
Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Global TB Programme in her remarks via video, stressed the importance of intensified action to reach the targets set at the 2018 UN General Assembly high-level meeting on TB, of reaching at least 3.5 million children with TB care and 4 million children under 5 with TB preventive services. “Countries need to step up efforts in detection and prevention to get on track to reach UN High Level Meeting targets and save lives. This meeting is important and we are accountable to these young lives who are so dependent on us. Let us not let them down.”
The consultation closed with special visits organized by the national TB programme of Viet Nam to health facilities for children with TB to share lessons learnt in approaches to address child and adolescent TB in Viet Nam. The sites visited included, the National Lung Hospital, the National Paediatric Hospital, and a district health centre in Hanoi.
On the sidelines of the consultation, Dr Nguyen Anh Tuan, WHO Civil Society Task Force member from Viet Nam, in close collaboration with the WHO Country Office Viet Nam organized a “Run like a Child” event to raise funds to provide support to children and families affected by TB.
In 2018, 1.1 million children fell ill with TB and over 200 000 children lost their lives to TB, including more than 30 000 children with HIV. Of the children who lost their lives, 80% had not even reached their fifth birthday.