Stop TB Canada Newsletter

June 2021

Last call - please share and participate in our surveys!

As a network of Canadians committed to ending TB, Stop TB Canada is currently conducting surveys to assess the impacts of COVID-19 on Canadian TB programs. We need your help because we know TB services have been disrupted during the pandemic, and with a chronic lack of access to TB data we are flying blind in our collective efforts to mitigate against the damage. Please complete and/or share the surveys below, which are now available in both French & English!

If you are employed in a position typically engaged in TB elimination efforts in Canada, please spare 5 mins to complete this anonymous survey. Access the survey here: https://www.questionpro.com/t/ASOg7ZlTkF

La version français du sondage pour le personnel d'un programme de tuberculose est disponible ici: https://www.questionpro.com/t/ASOg7ZnBAo

If you know people affected by TB or have access to any networks of people affected by TB in Canada, please forward them this email and encourage them to spare 5 min to complete this anonymous survey. Access the survey here: https://www.questionpro.com/t/ASOg7ZlUKO

La version français du sondage pour les personnes touchées par la tuberculose au Canada est disponible ici: https://www.questionpro.com/t/ASOg7ZnBAl

For any questions about either survey, please contact: lena.faust@mail.mcgill.ca

Register for our upcoming webinar!

Join us for our upcoming webinar, where you can expect to learn:
• How TB, HIV and COVID-19 intersect
• How COVID-19 has impacted the epidemics and what lessons learned can be applied in practice to strengthen the TB and HIV response
• What opportunities are on the horizon for joining forces between TB and HIV communities

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZIocemvqTsuEtRan1-9bH9guiKOnT4HL8zC

Check out our new TB Fact Sheet!

The Stop TB Canada network is pleased to share our first joint publication - a comprehensive fact sheet on tuberculosis with calls to action tailored for advocates in Canada. This resource will be shared widely to increase awareness of TB and articulates what is needed to achieve TB elimination goals in Canada and abroad.

Join our Facebook group for Canadians affected by TB

Are you a person affected by TB, a TB survivor, or a family member of someone affected by TB looking for a safe space to share resources and experiences? Join and help us grow our newly launched Facebook group to connect with and build a community of people affected by TB in Canada.

TB Conquerors Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/242491934316347

Latest publications

Facility-based directly observed therapy (DOT) for tuberculosis during COVID-19: A community perspective

Facility-based directly observed therapy (DOT) has been the standard for treating people with TB since the early 1990s, yet presents questions regarding issues of freedom, privacy, and human rights. This paper co-authored by Stop TB Canada members, Alex Zimmer, Robyn Waite, and Petra Heitkamp, explores the importance of person-centred TB care, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Global Drive to Scale Up TB Prevention

With 18 months left to reach at least 30 million people with tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment, as committed by Heads of State at the UN High Level Meeting on TB (UN-HLM) in 2018, there is great urgency to step up health programmatic action. WHO and partners are calling on governments and other stakeholders to keep the promises they made and accelerate coverage of TB preventive treatment for those in need.

Governance of TB Programmes

Strong TB governance, inclusive of communities and human rights, is critical for strong national TB programs (NTPs). The Stop TB Partnership, with support of USAID, recently launched a survey and analysis on the governance of TB programs across 22 countries.

Programmatic Innovations to Address Challenges in TB Prevention and Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The global resolve to end TB is a necessity to prevent further resurgence of the epidemic. This requires maintaining a continuity of services, as well as maximizing efforts in existing prevention and treatment strategies to put the world back on track in realizing the goals and targets of the End TB Strategy and the Sustainable Development Goals. This report outlines case studies from a range of countries on programmatic innovations for TB prevention and care amidst the pandemic.

Bending the Curve: The Impact of Integrating Mental Health Services on HIV and TB Outcomes

It is increasingly acknowledged that mental health is a risk factor for HIV and TB and can negatively impact the course of the disease and treatment, and that living with HIV and/or TB is a significant risk factor for a decline in an individual’s mental health and developing psychiatric illness. New research commissioned by United for Global Mental Health (UGMH) now demonstrates what has been long suspected: integrating basic mental health and psychosocial services into HIV and TB programmes will not only help millions of vulnerable people with ill mental health, but contribute to ending these pandemics much quicker.

Stop TB Canada serves as a platform to unite TB researchers, advocates, practitioners, organizations, and people with lived experience in the fight against TB in Canada and abroad. By joining our directory, your profile will be added to our website, and we will promote your contributions to the fight to end TB. You will also have the opportunity to opt in to being approached by the network for speaking and media engagements.

Complete this google form to join our directory now: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq1aT8U0Lfj66TqvDV_7yP0vC38i3AABfwWBcd8T-9_p5yBA/viewform

Thank you!

This newsletter is supported by resources donated by Results Canada, the McGill International TB Center, TB in Focus and ZMQ Development.