Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable, and ending TB as a public health threat by 2030 is a United Nations Sustainable Development Goal. The World Health Organization’s End TB Strategy hinges on three interlocking pillars:
- Integrated, person-centered TB care and prevention
- Bold policies and supportive systems
- Intensified research and innovation.
PATH’s TB portfolio supports high-burden countries to implement TB prevention, screening, diagnostics; integrate TB-primary health care (PHC) service delivery; and institutionalize and scale successful approaches.
During the 2024 Union Conference on Lung Health from November 12-16, PATH will share best practices and lessons learned from our diverse portfolio of TB projects. We will describe integrated TB screening models in PHC in Ukraine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
We will also highlight PATH’s efforts to center the needs of children and youth, through introducing new models for child- and family-centered TB care in Ukraine, and catalyzing youth as changemakers in India through novel community engagement initiatives.
Finally, we will share our experience in Ukraine with increasing access to QFT-Gold testing as a diagnostic method, and leveraging project-supported regional training hubs to provide high-quality continuous medical education to TB health professionals.
See below for a full schedule of PATH’s symposia, oral presentations, and posters at the conference.
- Symposia and satellite sessions
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SS03: Finding the missing millions with TB: Mobilising youth to improve health care seeking behaviour
Wednesday, November 13, 12:30 PM–02:00 PM, Hibiscus Room
TB continues to pose a significant public health threat in Southeast Asia, particularly affecting the youth who represent a vulnerable population. Youth in the region are disproportionately impacted by TB. Despite their increased risk, they are less likely to seek care due to a lack of awareness about TB symptoms, the stigma associated with the disease, structural barriers to accessing complex health systems, and insufficient family and social support. As a result, millions go undiagnosed or untreated.
The objective of this session is to drive discussion on the importance of addressing TB health care seeking behavior in urban poor youth in high TB burden settings by:
- Highlighting the health care seeking behavior in youth and how it impacts the TB disease burden
- Disseminating best practices and learnings on increasing TB awareness and knowledge, reducing stigma, and enhancing TB screening and diagnosis in youth.
This satellite session will feature Deepak Balasubramanian from PATH India, presenting on catalyzing youth through community engagement programs to seek care for themselves and others.
SP29: Promoting equitable access through community-based integrated TB service delivery models of care
Saturday, November 16, 9:30–11:00, Orchid Room
This symposium aims to showcase best practices in integrating TB interventions within community-based care delivery, leveraging insights from TB REACH projects. During this session, we will explore operational aspects on how to address access barriers and logistical complexities in diverse settings, including crisis environments and selected key vulnerable populations.
We will emphasize the relevance of disease-specific interventions, encompassing TB prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and community-based monitoring. We will also discuss how TB services can be optimized alongside prevalent comorbid conditions including hepatitis C, HIV, diabetes, hypertension and common mental health issues.
Experiences shared will highlight community engagement strategies in designing integrated service delivery models to address social, cultural barriers, discrimination, and stigma.
Presentations will feature innovative approaches from Vietnam, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Pakistan, demonstrating integrated screening, diagnosis, linkage to care, community-based monitoring, and empowering communities for holistic care delivery in challenging contexts.
Jessica Farley, on behalf of PATH DRC’s Cyprien Tendo-Bugondo will speak at this symposium on operationalizing a community-driven model to increase access to people-centered care for TB, HIV, and non-communicable diseases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Oral presentations
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SOA09-685-15: Innovative, child-friendly solutions for paediatric TB care provision to children and their families affected by TB
Friday, November 15, 9:20–10:50, Bougainville Room
Presenter: Olena Semenova
0A34-369-15: Maximising knowledge retention for TB professionals in Ukraine with retraining
Friday, November 15, 9:20–10:50 am, Orchid Room
Presenter: Nataliia Lytvynenko
- Poster presentations
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EP09-678-14: Experience working with private laboratories for QuantiFERON®-TB Gold testing to scale up LTBI diagnosis in Ukraine
Thursday, November 14, 12:15–13:15, Mangupura E-Posters 3
Presenter: Liudmyla Skoklyuk
EP16-751-15: Enabling access to QuantiFERON®-TB Gold and facilitating the introduction of up-to-date TB and drug-resistant TB prevention in Ukraine
Friday, November 15, 12:15–13:15, Mangupura E-Posters 4
Presenter: Volodymyr Shukatka
EP14-723-15: Boosting systematic screening at the primary health care level in Ukraine for populations at risk for TB
Friday, November 15, 12:15–13:15, Mangupura E-Posters 2
Presenter: Volodymyr Shukatka