TB/HIV at the HIV Implementers' Meeting
3-7 June, 2008 | Kampala, Uganda
TB/HIV at the HIV Implementers' Meeting
16-19 June, 2007 | Kigali, Rwanda
Over 1500 people from around the world who work to put HIV prevention, treatment, care and support programmes into action, met at the HIV Implementers' Meeting, in Kigali, Rwanda from June 16-19. The Secretariat of the TB/HIV Working Group was instrumental in organizing the TB/HIV sessions of the meeting which contained abstract and non-abstract driven sessions. The plenary speech by Dr Chakaya Muhwa of Kenya emphasized the importance of strengthening basic TB control services for optimal HIV and AIDS care and called for TB and HIV programmes to work together. He shared the exemplary experience of Kenya in their nationwide scale-up of collaborative TB/HIV activities. Haiti, Kenya, Uganda and Indonesia also shared their experiences and best practices in providing integrated TB and HIV services. The importance of TB infection control in HIV care settings particularly in the context of XDR-TB and laboratory strengthening to expedite the diagnosis of TB in PLHIV were emphasized.
Read the report written by members of the Core Group.
Kigali also hosted the follow up to the March Accelerating the Implementation of Collaborative TB/HIV Activities meeting in Washington D.C. The meeting in Kigali was organized by OGAC (the U.S Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator) and WHO on behalf of the TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership. Participants shared experiences of nationwide scale-up of collaborative TB/HIV activities. The meeting brought together more than 80 participants from 22 countries. Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Zambia (who attended the March meeting) presented their draft plans for discussion. Round tables identified critical action points for nationwide scale-up of collaborative TB/HIV activities.
Accelerating the implementation of collaborative HIV/TB activities in selected sub-Saharan African countries
March 6-7, 2007 | Washington DC
The Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC), the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation organized a planning meeting to accelerate the implementation of collaborative HIV/TB in selected sub-Saharan African countries, which carries the brunt of the burden of the TB and HIV dual epidemic. The meeting was held on March 6-7, 2007 in Washington DC, USA. The countries included were Ethiopia, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda and Zambia. Participants at the meeting included National TB and HIV/AIDS Control Programme managers, heads of national TB and HIV laboratories, HIV/TB focal points from country PEPFAR teams and representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Fund against AIDS, TB and Malaria, OGAC, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO and selected members of the Core Group of the TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership. The meeting was open by Ambassador Mark Dybul who reiterated the importance of collaborative TB/HIV activities and announced the availability of an additional $50 million supplemental funding for all PEPFAR focus countries for HIV/TB in 2007.