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Lucia A Keegan  11/14/2006 10:12:36 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Lucia A Keegan

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UNCLAS        PARIS 07318

SIPDIS
cxparis:
    ACTION: SCI
    INFO:   ESCI ECON AMB DCM ECSO ENGO LABO SCIO AMBO
            UNESCO AGR POL

DISSEMINATION: SCIX
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: SCI: RDRY
DRAFTED: SCI: KMKATZER
CLEARED: NONE

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RR RUEHC RUEAUSA RUEHPH RUEHZN RUEHSA RUEHTN
DE RUEHFR #7318/01 3131050
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 091050Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY PARIS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2996
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
INFO RUEHZN/EST COLLECTIVE
RUEHSA/AMEMBASSY PRETORIA 1219
RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 0159

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PARIS 007318 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G, OES, OES/IHA, EUR/WE 
STATE PASS USAID FOR GLOBAL HEALTH 
HHS FOR STEIGER/SAWYER 
PRETORIA/CAPETOWN FOR ECON/ESTH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO KHIV KFLU FR
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL UNION'S LUNG CONFERENCE - PUNCHING ABOVE ITS 
WEIGHT 
 
REF:  (05) PARIS 7328 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung 
Disease convened the 37th Union World Conference on Lung Health from 
October 31 to November 4, 2006 in Paris, France.  The Union's annual 
conference is the world's premier meeting of tuberculosis and public 
health experts dedicated to reducing the burden of disease and 
strengthening health systems in low-income countries.  This year, 
over 2,100 participants from 125 countries attended the conference 
and shared their experiences and addressed the conference theme of 
"Strengthening Human Resources for Better Lung Health."  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  As a reflection of the complexity of global health challenges, 
the issues discussed at the conference extended beyond tuberculosis 
(TB) to include:  extensive drug resistant tuberculosis (XDRTB); the 
HIV/TB co-epidemic; the impact of increased tobacco use in 
low-income countries; the destabilizing potential of an Avian 
Influenza epidemic; and the human resources challenges facing health 
care providers in high-burden countries.  Dr. Jorge Sampaio, the UN 
Secretary General's Special Envoy to the Stop TB Partnership and the 
 
SIPDIS 
former President of Portugal, was the keynote speaker at the opening 
ceremony.  Throughout his speech, Dr. Sampaio emphasized the global 
responsibility to invest in the health care workforce and urged 
donor and recipient countries to elevate this issue to the top of 
their public health priorities.  In addition to the keynote speech, 
Professor M. Kazatchkine (France's Ambassador on HIV/AIDS and 
Transmissible Diseases) read a letter from French President Jacques 
Chirac welcoming the participants to France and encouraging them in 
their efforts to reduce the global burden of disease. 
 
----------------------------- 
The crisis in human resources 
----------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Over 10 million people die annually from tuberculosis and other 
lung diseases, as well as HIV.  The majority of this global burden 
of disease is centralized in developing countries, where the scale 
of the challenges often greatly outweighs the resources available to 
address them.  For example, Sub-Saharan Africa has 11% of the 
world's population and 25% of the global burden of disease, but only 
4% of the world's trained health workers and 1% of global health 
expenditure.  In these countries, health workers struggle with poor 
working conditions, inadequate supplies of drugs and equipment, 
heavy work loads, long hours, low pay, inadequate pay and the 
constant threat of infectious disease.  Faced with these conditions, 
many health workers leave their professions for different work or 
take positions in wealthier countries that offer better 
opportunities.  Strengthening human resources must be an essential 
component in all efforts to combat the growing global disease 
burden, highlighted a number of conference speakers. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
The emergence of extensive drug-resistant tuberculosis 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The consequences of inadequate efforts in TB control are evident 
in the emergence of XDRTB, a virtually untreatable form of TB, in 
several countries including South Africa, Russia, Latvia and the 
United States.  A special session of the conference was devoted to 
this topic and featured an international panel of experts and former 
patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB).  In 
addition, the conference schedule included a post-graduate course, 3 
symposia and several presentations and posters that addressed the 
links between MDR and XDRTB, HIV and human resources development. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Tuberculosis and HIV:  two diseases, one health system 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
¶5.  The challenges presented by the HIV and TB co-epidemic 
maintained a high profile throughout the conference.  A combination 
of post-graduate courses, symposia, posters and plenary sessions 
presented the latest research and facilitated discussions on 
treatment options for co-infected patients, ARVs, TB diagnostic 
challenges for HIV+ patients, community advocacy, policy 
implications and barriers to implementation for integrated TB/HIV 
care. 
 
¶6.  The 38th Union World Conference will be held from 8th - 12th 
November 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa.  The theme of next year's 
conference will be: "Confronting the Challenges of HIV and MDR in TB 
Prevention and Care." 
 
¶7.  COMMENT:  Due to the proliferation of lung disorders world-wide 
and their increasing complexity, this conference has taken on 
increasing importance in recent years.  Organized by the 
International Union against Tuberculosis and Lunch Disease, a number 
of officials, epidemiologists, and clinicians in the U.S. public 
health system provided their knowledge and expertise to make this 
conference a success for health practitioners and policymakers from 
the hard hit countries in the developing world.  The International 
Union, with help from its friends, definitely punches above its 
weight.  END COMMENT. 
 
STAPLETON