Tuberculosis killed 65,000 people in the European region in 2005, despite being a treatable, preventable disease. Europe has the highest levels of drug-resistant TB in the world and some of the lowest rates of disease detection. TB and, increasingly, strains of drug-resistant TB have been concentrated among populations that are the most marginalized and that face increased socio-economic barriers to care, including those who are poor or homeless, prisoners, migrants, and ethnic minorities.
The World Health Organization Euro Region convened a Ministerial Forum entitled “All Against Tuberculosis in Europe” on October 22 in Berlin. This was the occasion for national authorities—including ministers of health, finance, and immigration—to make TB a political priority and to commit new resources to tackle the disease in Europe. The vital role of civil society organizations and affected communities in the fight against TB has been recognized by WHO and national authorities in strategic documents such as the World Health Assembly resolutions on TB.
OSI s Public Health Watch and Roma Health Program brought together leading civil society groups and activists from across the region for a meeting, "Fighting TB in the European Region," in Berlin on October 21. This was an official satellite meeting of the Ministerial Forum; Zola Kondur, a Ukrainian delegate from civil society, presented an “Offer of Partnership” at the Ministerial event, stating what civil society can offer to governments and health authorities, and their expectations in return for this partnership. Civil society organizations and people who have been affected by TB were invited to participate in the drafting of the Offer of Partnership through an interactive website that includes a background paper, “Untapped Potential: Engaging Civil Society to Fight the TB Emergency in Europe,” and other information on TB in the region.
Contact Information
For further information, please contact Emily Bell, ebell@sorosny.org, or Heather Doyle, hdoyle@sorosny.org. For media-related inquiries, please contact Paul Silva, psilva@sorosny.org.