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45th Union World Conference on Lung Health sees record attendance and impact

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The 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health, recently concluded in Barcelona, Spain, not only had record attendance with over 3,300 delegates from 134 countries, but also created the broadest international impact with The Global TB Summit, participation from civil society and media coverage of key issues, such as a shortened regimen for MDR-TB and the looming TB-diabetes epidemic. In keeping with the theme of “Community-driven  solutions for the next generation”, the need for all stakeholders to have a strong role in public health was highlighted throughout the week.

First-ever Global TB Summit leads to Barcelona Declaration
The first-ever Global TB Summit on Monday, 27 October was attended by parliamentarians and other representatives from seven countries and stressed the need for governments to commit to sustained action and increased resources. This meeting culminated in the signing of the Barcelona Declaration on TB and the formation of a Global TB Caucus led by the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis and The Union, which plan to organise another Summit in Cape Town next year.

Parliamentarians, researchers, strategists, caregivers and activists speak out
A number of the parliamentarians stayed on to participate in the conference, including the UK’s Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP; Dr Aaron Motsoaeledi, South Africa’s Minister of Health; and Dr Harsh Vardan, India’s Minister of Health and Family Welfare, all of whom spoke at the Inaugural Session.

Other plenary speakers included Ms Ria Grant, a longtime TB-HIV nurse and activist from South Africa, and an international panel of community activists; Prof Stefan H E Kaufmann of Germany, who gave this year’s Robert Koch Memorial Lecture; and Dr Mukund Uplekar of the World Health Organization and Dr Aamir Khan of Interactive Research & Development, who spoke at the Richard Riley Plenary Session.

Call to action on TB-diabetes generates widespread attention at the conference and beyond
The Union and the World Diabetes Foundation launched a new report, The Looming Co-epidemic of TB-Diabetes: A Call to Action, at a packed press conference, which led to over 100 articles in the international media, including in the Financial Times, Reuters, Agence France Press, US National Public Radio, The UK Daily Mail, South Africa’s Mail and Guardian, and The Hindu.

The promising results of Union research on a shortened MDR-TB regimen were also picked up by the media and widely discussed. “Cured”, a photo exhibition celebrating the lives of 28 recovered MDR- and XDR-TB patients, also underlined the message of new hope for hundreds of thousands of patients around the world.

Well-attended scientific programme in English and Spanish
This year’s scientific programme offered 53 symposia, 19 post-graduate courses and workshops, 99 abstract-based sessions, 6 meet-the-expert sessions, 1 Inaugural session, 3 plenary sessions and a full 5-day Spanish track that attracted some 300 delegates from Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries. Sessions were well attended; and the record number of abstracts submitted this year demonstrates the scientific community’s increasing interest in TB and lung health – as well as the importance of The Union conference as a venue for presenting research. Rapporteurs summarised the highlights of the sessions based on abstracts at the Closing Ceremony.

Awards honour achievements at all stages
No Union conference would be complete without awards recognising outstanding achievements in TB and lung health. This year’s honorees ranged from Prof Jacques Grosset, who received The Union Medal for 6 decades of ground-breaking research to Dr Julian Villalba, first winner of the new Union/Otsuka Young Innovator in TB Research Award.  

Save the date for Cape Town and “A New Agenda: Lung Health beyond 2015”
Planning is already underway for the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health with the theme “A New Agenda: Lung Health beyond 2015”. It will be held on 2-6 December 2015 at the Cape Town International Convention Center in Cape Town, South Africa.  Online submission of proposals for sessions will open in late November. 

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