CALL TO ACTION FOR A TB-FREE INDIA

THE UNION SOUTH EAST ASIA REGION IN 2017

•TheUnionbeganworkwiththeGovernmentofIndia onanationwideTBcase-findingcampaignfocusingon vulnerablepopulationsin50districtsacross18states, withtheaimtoimproveTBdetectionratesattheearly stagesofdisease.

•MembersofParliamentmetinNewDelhitolaunch theIndiaTBCaucus,committingtofocusgovernment effortsonTBandworkacrosspartylinestoaddressthis issue.ThemeetingwasjointlyorganisedbyTheUnion andpartners.

•OrganisedbyTheUnion,theTB-FreeIndiaSummitwas heldinAprilinDharamshala,India.Itdrewtogethertop governmentofficials,membersofparliamentandIndian celebritiestoincreasemomentuminthefightagainstTB. Thesummitconcludedwithacricketmatch,whereIndia’s topcelebritiesandpoliticianscompetedtosymbolically ‘bowlTBoutofIndia’.

AttheIndiaTBCaucus,TBactivistsandcivilsocietymemberssharedtheirstorieswiththeMPs.RheaLobo,aTBsurvivor,sharedherstoryaboutherdiagnosisandthestigmashesufferedasaresult:

“Many people told me that TB is a ‘poor man’s disease’ – but TB does not discriminate. It has no geographic, demographic or economic barriers.”

TheCalltoActionforaTB-FreeIndiaisanadvocacyinitiativeworkingtocreatepartnershipsandmobiliseeffortstoendTBinIndia.ItispartoftheChallengeTBproject,implementedbyTheUnionSouth-EastAsiaOffice.In2017,CalltoActionforaTB-FreeIndiacarriedoutthefollowingactivities:

A smoke-free taxi, Hue City, Viet Nam. Comprehensive smoke-free laws protect people from second-hand

smoke in all enclosed public places. There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke.

CREDIT: The Union

Sri Lanka

PakistanNepal

Maldives

Bangladesh

Afghanistan

MyanmarIndia

Bhutan

KNOW• Unionexpertshad15peer-reviewed paperspublishedinPublic Health Action andPLOS ONE,amongothers.They coveredTB,HIVanddiabetescarefrom countriesacrosstheregion.

• TheUnionSouth-EastAsiaOffice organisedacourseontobaccocontrol inKathmandu,Nepal.Attendedby policymakers,civilsocietyandmedia fromacrosstheregion,thecourse’s 75participantsreceivedtraining tostrengthenleadershipskills,boost evidence-basedpolicyimplementation, andcommunicationtoadvance tobaccocontrol.

• TheIndianGovernment’s2017TBReport revealedthatProjectAxshya’scounselling interventionsforpatientswithmultidrug- resistanttuberculosis,whichhasreached over8,000MDR-TBpatientsinthreeyears, improvedpatientadherencebytwo-thirds.

SHARE• TheUnioncalledforaccesstoeffective treatmentsforeverypatientfollowing thelegalvictoryofan18-year-old womanfromPatna,India,with extensivelydrug-resistanttuberculosis tobeprescribedthedrugbedaquiline. Currently,bedaquilineisavailableonly withincertaincitiesinIndia.

• TheUnionsupportedahigh-level conferenceinBangladesh,which focusedontheWorldHealth Organization’sMPOWER–aseries ofevidence-basedmeasuresto reducetobaccouse.Withmorethan 200attendees,includingpolicymakers, civilsociety,academicsandmedia, theconferenceurgedprogressoncore tobaccocontrolpolices.

• TheUnionsupportedameeting convenedinNewDelhi,India,which resultedinall11memberstatesofthe South-EastAsiaRegionsigningaCall forActiontoEndTB.Declarations includedincreasingresourcesand fundingforcountries,withparticular emphasisontheneedtofully-fund nationalTBprogrammes.

FROM EVIDENCE TO PUBLIC HEALTH ACTIONFornearly100yearsTheUnionhasdrawntogetherthebestscientificevidenceandexpertisetoaddressthemostpressingpublichealthchallengesaffectingpeoplelivinginpovertyaroundtheworld.Know.Share.Act.

UNION OFFICES

COURSES AND CONFERENCE LOCATIONS

RESEARCH LOCATIONS

UNION MEMBER NETWORK

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ACT• ImplementedbyTheUnionSouth-East AsiaOffice,ProjectAxshyaestablished97 TBtreatmentandinformationkiosksin40 citiesinIndia.ProjectAxshyaalsoworked withanactivenetworkof15,000volunteers toaddresstheneedsofvulnerable populations,providingTBinformation, screening,treatmentandsupport.

• In2017TheUnionOfficeinMyanmar:

• organisedamonthlysupportmeetingfor thecommunityofpeopleaffectedbyTB.

• providedantiretroviraltherapytoover 26,000peoplelivingwithHIVin Myanmar,thanksto17newly decentralisedtreatmentcentres.

• raninteractiveworkshopstohelp studentsinMyanmarlearnaboutHIV/ AIDSaspartofasix-montheducation andoutreachinitiative.

• launchedtheCommunityBased IntegratedTuberculosisCareProjectto supportapopulationofover900,000.