WHO EURO region's Ministerial Forum

"If the Berlin Ministerial Forum wishes to act now to eradicate tuberculosis, it must reach out far beyond the borders of Europe." The WHO EURO region's Ministerial Forum on tuberculosis on October 22, 2007, in Berlin, must take account of the threat of TB both outside as well as inside Europe if it is to be tackled adequately. These are the conclusions of authors of a Comment published in this week's edition of The Lancet. The Comment is authored by Dr Bruce Currey, Professor Quazi Quamruzzaman, and Professor Mahmuder Rahman, Dhaka Community Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh. They say that in a 21st century that is becoming more and more global, to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis within Europe, European ministers must act together and act now, not simply to control, but also to eradicate poverty and tuberculosis in the source communities of Europe's migrant workers and major trade partners outside Europe. The Ministerial Forum must confront the raging red bull of tuberculosis infections outside Europe. It goes on to say that the Berlin forum paper emphasises the 66 000 deaths from tuberculosis inside Europe in 2005, but overlooks the 1•6 million deaths outside Europe. It adds that radical reduction of the incidence of tuberculosis both inside and outside Europe requires prevention of the progression to new active cases as well as management of active cases. Eradication is possible, but not with drugs alone. Further, it adds: "Trade and trade embargoes affect the incidence of tuberculosis. The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has shown how radical intervention in the Hmong refugee centres of Thailand can reduce the incidence of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the Hmong in Fresno, California." The Comment authors propose a six-pronged approach to tackling the tuberculosis threat, including incorporating populations outside Europe, and the Forum accepting responsibility for actions such as arms trading and oil prices which increase inequality and tuberculosis incidence worldwide. The last of the six parts of the authors' suggested action calls on the Forum to get behind the UK Prime Minister's address to the UN in July 2007, to "act now" to tackle global poverty and "eradicate" the scourge of diseases such as tuberculosis, and his commitment that there are resources available to eradicate the disease. The Comment concludes: "If the Berlin Ministerial Forum wishes to act now to eradicate tuberculosis, it must reach out far beyond the borders of Europe."
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