Advocates Make an Impact this World TB Day
On March 24, 2022, Stop TB Canada joined our domestic and global partners in recognizing World Tuberculosis Day - a day to build public awareness of the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic and stand in solidarity with the millions of people affected by this disease. This year’s theme for World TB Day was #InvestToEndTB, highlighting the urgent need to increase funding to end TB, especially given the devastating impacts that COVID-19 has had on TB services and care. Through our network of committed volunteers and dedicated partners across the country, we were able to move the needle towards this goal. See below for a snapshot of our success this World TB Day, including building awareness, gaining political champions, and securing resources from Canada to #EndTB.
Canada reaffirms its commitment to TB REACH
Stop TB Canada kicked off World TB Day with an in-person outdoor gathering in Ottawa hosted by our partner Results Canada. At this event, The Honourable Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan made an announcement on a new investment of CAD$11 million in TB REACH. He made this announcement alongside Lucica Ditiu (Stop TB Partnership), Chris Dendys (Results Canada), and Dr. Suvesh Shresthra (Stop TB Canada), stating that Canada ``will continue to actively support initiatives, like through the $11 million of funding to the Stop TB Partnership’s TB REACH program, who work tirelessly to find solutions that give hope to millions around the world who are fighting this terrible disease.“ Watch the recording of the event here and see the Minister’s tweet about the announcement here.
Stop TB Canada and our partners have been advocating for reinvestment in TB REACH for over a year, as we know that the initiative is well placed to fill the gaps in TB service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic. TB REACH works with community led programs to ensure that people affected by TB in hard-to-reach communities can get the care they need. We thank the Honourable Harjit Sajjan and Canada for taking this critical step towards TB elimination.
Grassroots movement
The success of this World TB Day could not have been possible without our grassroots network of everyday advocates. Canadians across the country came together in honour of World TB Day and demonstrated that they care about ending TB. With the dedicated support of Results Canada staff and volunteers, we got a record number of local landmarks lit up in red, secured mayor proclamations marking World TB Day, published 10+ articles on TB, wrote letters to the editors, and called for change on social media. In doing so, we were able to generate more media coverage and more attention by decision-makers than any other year on record.
This World TB Day, Stop TB Canada and Results Canada piloted a new tool to engage with our network, developed through Prezi. This interactive tool was designed to educate our network about TB, the impact of COVID-19 on TB programs in Canada and abroad, and call for the resources and policy changes needed to end TB. The Prezi features stories and videos produced by our partners that feature a variety of community voices and experts engaged in the quest to end TB. We encourage you to go through the Prezi to learn more here.
Network activities
Parliamentary engagement
In the lead up to World TB Day, Stop TB Canada met with 6 Members of Parliament (MPs) to discuss the TB crisis at home and abroad. Thank you to all the MPs (Salma Zahid, Rob Oliphant, Han Dong, Francesco Sorbara, Melissa Lantsman, and Vance Badawey) who took the time to engage in TB advocacy this World TB Day, by educating yourselves, sharing information with your networks, and speaking up for a world without TB. Special thanks to MP Gary Vidal of Desnethé-Missinippi-Churchill River, who publicly recognized World TB Day in Parliament and called for urgent action in the quest to end TB among Canada’s Indigenous communities.
Events
Members of Stop TB Canada’s steering committee spoke loudly this World TB Day, through various online events. See below a list of events hosted by our members and remember that you can see all upcoming events on our website.
Stop TB Canada’s steering committee held an informal session at the NAR Union End TB Conference in early March to connect with the practitioners, researchers, and advocates working towards ending TB in Canada.
Students for Partners in Health Canada (SPIHC) and Results Canada chapters partnered to present a week-long series of education and advocacy events to address the burden of tuberculosis in Canada and globally. The advocacy week featured Stop TB Canada steering committee members, including Lena Faust, Tina Campbell, Dr. Ben Geboe, and Dr. Robyn Waite.
CADTH held an Indigenous-led discussion on cultural competence in the context of TB in Canada, titled Cultural Competence in Health Care: Delivering Culturally Appropriate Care for TB in Indigenous Communities, in which our co-chair Tina Campbell was a panelist. Find the recording here.
The McGill International TB Centre and WHO Collaborating Centre held their 9th Annual TB Research Day. The event featured Priya Amin, TB conqueror and member of Stop TB Canada’s steering committee.
The Lung Association of Saskatchewan held a webinar on World TB Day featuring Stop TB Canada’s co-chair, Tina Campbell, titled TB care in remote communities.
Following World TB Day, Stop TB Canada held an informal virtual conversation with Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Director of the Stop TB Partnership, titled Lunch with Lucica. This was an opportunity to ask questions, hear from our partners working to end TB around the world, and share learnings between global and domestic efforts to end TB. Find the recording here.
Plan International Canada held a French language webinar on women’s health, the importance of patient and survivor perspectives and gender equality as we work together to end tuberculosis in communities across Canada and around the world. The event was organized by Adam Graham and featured Lena Faust, both active members of Stop TB Canada’s steering committee.
CAAN held a webinar titled Indigenous TB: Lived experience in Canada, featuring a researcher who shared information on the colonial history of TB in Canada, an individual with lived experience, and Stop TB Canada’s co-chair Tina Campbell who spoke to the frontline TB response and coordination. The event was moderated by Trevor Stratton, member of Stop TB Canada’s steering committee.
Publications
Our membership engaged in written advocacy, publishing several op-eds around World TB Day on a variety of topics related to TB. Check out some of the publications by our members below:
Adam Houston - Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF): World TB Day: Canada needs to invest in tools that will save lives
Lena Faust - McGill International TB Centre: Canada is failing to track an ancient but deadly infectious disease
Leigh Raithby - Results Canada: COVID-19 derails global quest to end tuberculosis
Leah Goldschmidt - Results Canada: Tuberculosis advocacy is more important now than ever in the face of COVID-19
Stop TB Canada steering committee co-chairs, Dr. Elizabeth Rea and Tina Campbell joined the Public Health Insights podcast to discuss their work, the impact of COVID-19 on TB programs, and what needs to be done to end TB. Listen to the podcast here.
Several members of the Stop TB Canada steering committee, including co-chair Dr. Elizabeth Rea and Dr. Courtney Heffernan were involved in the development of the recently published Canadian Tuberculosis Standards - 8th Edition. The new edition was jointly produced by the Canada Thoracic Society and the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada and was published on World TB Day. These standards are fundamental in guiding TB diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in Canada. The new edition confirms that the overall rate of TB in Canada has failed to decline in the last 5 years, and the total number of persons diagnosed with TB disease has actually increased in the last 3 years. Canadian-born Indigenous Peoples and individuals born outside of Canada continue to be disproportionately affected.
Holding the government accountable
While we celebrate the success of this World TB Day, we recognize that there is much still to be done in the quest to end TB. Stop TB Canada and our partners are committed to continuing to advocate for a world without TB. In an effort to track Canada’s progress towards its previous commitments to domestic and global TB elimination, Stop TB Canada has developed the Canadian TB Tracker. This tool will provide transparent tracking of progress towards TB elimination targets and will be used to keep policymakers informed and accountable for progress towards these goals. As part of our engagement strategy, Stop TB Canada shared the tracker with Provincial and Territorial Ministers of Health, as well as the chair of the standing committee on health, MP Casey. The tracker will be continuously updated as more data becomes available.
While World TB Day may be behind us, our advocacy is far from over. Stop TB Canada remains committed to our mission of generating the political will to end TB at home and abroad.