45th Union World Conference on Lung Health, Part 2

Editor’s Note: This week, Del Garcia, MCN’s Director of International Projects, Research and Development is in Barcelona, attending the 45th Union World Conference on Lung Health, sponsored by the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. The five-day conference features over 150 sessions with presenters from 65 countries. Here is a short update on Del’s presentation on the second day of the conference. See part one here.

On Wednesday, Del joined forces with her international colleagues for a half-day workshop that included working group discussions on a series of five topics, titled, “Participatory Development of Guiding Principles for Migrant Community-Driven Projects to Eliminate TB.” Presentations by the the Chief of TB Control in Barcelona, the staff of an outreach project for the Somali diaspora in Oslo, and a representative of the International Organization on Migration offered challenges and practical solutions to developing essential TB service for hard-to-reach populations. The presentations were followed by “one and a half hours of intense group work to define key barriers and necessary conditions to develop screening, treatment, and continue unity of care programs for migrants with TB,” said Del. 

About 67 participants attended, representing “a good cross section of governmental and NGO representation,” said Del. The common thread was the organizations’ struggles with internal migration and cross-border migration, in relation to TB, said Del. Several key organizations with continued and growing dedication to addressing TB in migrant populations were represented: long-term supporter LHL International; continued supporter World Health Organization’s Western Pacific Region, known as WHO (WPRO); and growing supporter the International Organization of Migration (IOM).

Del co-coordinated the event with her colleague Gilles Cesari of the Global Fund. The presentations, which Del declared “excellent,” covered a number of topics, covering facts and figures about migrant workers and TB worldwide, as well as specific strategies employed around the world in combating TB in mobile populations. We look forward to hearing more from Del upon her return, on the lessons she learned during the extensive small group session. The conference continues for two more days, ending on November 1st.