The three day meeting was preceded by one-day Thematic Session (proposed last year by the NGO delegation) on tuberculosis (TB) and HIV. More than 200 participants had the opportunity to hear panel sessions about:
- HIV and TB – joint impact and joint response
- Mobilizing community- and faith-based organizations in the joint response to HIV and TB
- Investment in HIV and TB and health systems strengthening
- Access to improved TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment for people living with HIV and the threat of TB drug resistance
After the thematic session, the PCB passed several decision points in the record of the meeting, which recognized the need to address the urgent threat that tuberculosis, particularly drug-resistant TB, poses to people living with HIV, and called upon Member States to mobilize community involvement, including faith-based organizations and affected communities, in addressing the prevention and treatment of TB in people living with HIV .
The PCB also requested that UNAIDS Secretariat and WHO establish relevant TB indicators in national AIDS action frameworks, which include the goal of reducing TB mortality in people living with HIV, and to work with partners to accelerate research and the development of better tools for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB in people living with HIV.
The PCB called upon the international community to address the resource gap for the prevention and treatment of TB in people living with HIV through its inclusion in the broader development agenda.