TNMU Professor Took Part in the 16 th Scientific Symposium Dedicated to World Tuberculosis Day 2023
On March 21-22, 2023, the 16th Scientific Symposium dedicated to World Tuberculosis Day was held in Berlin (Germany). Leonid Hryschuk, Professor of the Department of Propedeutics of Internal Medicine and Phthisiatry of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, took part in the Symposium.
The event was organized at Akkon University for Human Sciences.
The organizers of the Symposium noted that we are facing several crises at the same time: the terrible war in Ukraine, the civil war in Yemen, economic turbulence and instability of energy supply, climate change and loss of biodiversity. In addition to all these challenges and problems, chronic pandemics such as HIV or tuberculosis are still ongoing. Thus, the issue of a comprehensive approach to the fight against tuberculosis remains relevant, especially in wartime.
The Symposium discussed new ways to overcome the comorbidity of HIV-tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, the issue of implementation of all anti-tuberculosis strategies and investments in general efforts to improve national health care systems within the framework of the WHO program “Universal Health Care Coverage” (UHC), and this cannot be neglected nowadays.
Together with international partners, current trends in the research and fight against tuberculosis were studied and discussed in the light of current epidemiological trends in Europe and the world.
Of course, traditionally, the symposium featured state-of-the-art developments and the latest presentations in the field of diagnosis, treatment and prevention/vaccine development.
Tuberculosis experts, representatives of the WHO, politicians, health care, private companies, hospitals and other anti-tuberculosis institutions from all over Europe and the world were involved in the work at the Symposium to discuss the most pressing issues of the fight against tuberculosis in the near future. The fight against tuberculosis cannot be neglected, even in times of numerous crises! Thus, the Symposium covered both a scientific and a political approach.
The first day was devoted to the topics of general overview, tuberculosis and politics.
Session 1 “How to politically support the fight against tuberculosis in times of crisis”.
The following performances were particularly interesting:
Askar Yedilbayev, Regional Advisor, TB and DR-TB, WHO Europe “New TB action plan for the WHO European Region 2023-2030”.
Sayohat Hasanova, Joint Infectious Diseases Unit (JID), WHO Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen “WHO regional Platform for collaboration and partnership on TB, HIV and Viral Hepatitis prevention, care and support in the European region”.
Session 2 “How to overcome tuberculosis – perspectives from the point of view of epidemiology, diagnostics, clinic, public health”
The following reports were presented:
N. Hamdard, UNOPS STOP TB Partnership “5 country case scenarios of Eastern Europe and Central Asia focused on how Covid 19 affected TB response”.
A. Laro, University of Southeastern Philippines, Mintal Campus “Advocacy on Women’s Education and Empowerment”.
N.N., Escuela de Estudios Técnicos de Enfermería A.C. Saltillo, Mexico: “TB Disease in Prisons.”
The second day was devoted to issues of public health, diagnostics, medicines, vaccines.
In this field, the following reports should be noted:
Elizabeth Tabitha Abbew, National TB Control Program, Ghana/Institute of Tropical Medicine/University of Antwerp “TB-Nontuberculous mycobacteria coinfection in Ghana”.
Chris D. Nyan, Shufflex Biomed, Liberia “Clinical Importance of Timely TB co-infections Diagnosis in Tuberculosis Control”.
Eka Kokhreidze, NCTLD of Georgia and European University, Tbilisi “Latent TB infections, an evaluation”.
Valeriu Crudu, Alexandru Corlateanu, National TB Reference Laboratory Phthisiopneumology Institute and Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy (USMF), Chisinau, Moldova “Diagnostic accuracy of molecular assays to detect M. tuberculosis and drug resistance”.
Rosa Marna Torres Munguna, Escuela de Estudios Tйcnicos de Enfermerna A.C. Saltillo, Mexico “TB Disease in Prisons”. Leonid Hryshchuk’s report on “Incidence of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the Ternopil region of Ukraine over the past five years” was presented at the Symposium, too.
In the report, it was noted that in order to solve the situation, reduce the prevalence of tuberculosis, expand the scope of early detection and diagnosis of tuberculosis, and ensure effective treatment, in 2019 Ukraine adopted the State Strategy for the Development of Anti-tuberculosis Care for the Population for 2020-2023, aimed at creating a new model for prevention, early detection and provision of medical care to tuberculosis patients by 2023.
The military aggression of the Russian Federation, which began on February 24, 2022, has led to a large-scale humanitarian crisis that has affected the entire population of Ukraine and is likely to increase the spread of tuberculosis in the future. In 2022, the epidemiological situation with tuberculosis in the Ternopil region continues to remain tense, the prevalence of bacillary and destructive forms of tuberculosis is increasing.
In January 2023, the standard of medical care “Tuberculosis” was updated in Ukraine, aimed at improving the regulatory framework based on evidence-based medicine and WHO recommendations. This will improve the quality of care, reduce morbidity, disability and mortality, as well as reduce costs and risks for patients. The updated edition of the standard has the following areas: public health protection and prevention of tuberculosis, systematic screening for tuberculosis among high-risk groups, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, including drug-resistant tuberculosis, management of HIV infection and other concomitant diseases in people with tuberculosis, management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents.
In particular, the standards for the management of tuberculosis in children and adolescents have been updated, including the issue of BCG vaccination among HIV-infected children, approaches to the diagnosis of TB in children and adolescents have been improved, an integrated decision-making algorithm for the treatment of children under 10 years of age with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis has been introduced, and modern approaches are described to the formation of paediatric TB treatment regimens.
The standards of treatment of sensitive tuberculosis by age categories and severity of the disease have been updated. Shortened 4-month treatment regimens for susceptible tuberculosis have been introduced instead of the traditional 6-month regimens.
Updated standards for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), which provide for the regulation of issues regarding the choice of modern therapy regimens with priority given to completely oral treatment regimens.
The following important tasks were included in the resolution of the Symposium:
– to put the resilience of health systems and global control of the pandemic, including the fight against tuberculosis, at the centre of its efforts and seriously finance it, in particular through the successful replenishment of the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria,
– to support the work of both state and non-state structures in providing medical care to the population of Ukraine,
– to better prepare the international community for future health crises so that the fight against tuberculosis and other dangerous infectious diseases does not face further setbacks, especially through the successful negotiation of a pandemic treaty that ensures human rights principles, with the participation of implementing countries and vulnerable groups,
– to continue research into innovative and cost-effective treatments and diagnostics, and prioritize research into innovative and cost-effective treatments, diagnostics and vaccines for poverty-related diseases.
Leonid Hryshchuk expresses his heartfelt appreciation to Professor Timo Ulrichs and Gaby Feldmann for the invitation to the Symposium and support for the visit to Berlin.симпозіум і підтримку візиту до Берліну.