Fruitful meeting on tuberculosis continues in Lithuania

2023-09-07

With the conference Tuberculosis in the Baltic region, Uppsala University gathered representatives from more than ten countries on Campus Gotland to focus on one of the biggest threats to global public health. "The meeting provided important energy and hopefully laid the foundation for a new and important tradition," states Ulrika Simonsson, Professor of Pharmacokinetics.

(Image removed) Askar Yedilbayev, WHO, Urika Simonsson, Uppsala University and Andreas Diacon, TASK

Tuberculosis – the contagious infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs – is once again on the rise globally. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), each year more than six million people are diagnosed with tuberculosis and 1.6 million die from the disease. Moreover, with the rapid spread of the tubercle bacteria and accelerating antibiotic resistance, previous geographical barriers are effectively removed. Now the threat is increasing across the Baltic Sea, and in late June, Uppsala University invited to an international conference on Campus Gotland.

“We are facing a situation that requires us to mobilize all available expertise, and the interest in our meeting shows that this is a challenge that is taken very seriously. We welcomed representatives for research and care in all Baltic Sea countries – Russia excepted – which enabled a full picture of resources, needs and strategies throughout the entire region. Something that in turn led to both engaged discussions and a clear direction forward,” states Ulrika Simonsson, Professor of Pharmacokinetics and initiator of the conference.

(Image removed) Askar Yedilbayev represented the WHO

Also present in Visby was a delegate from Ukraine who described the impact of the war on the country's conditions to deal with the spread of the disease. From South Africa, one of the world's most severely affected countries, Andreas Diacon, scientific leader at TASK research institute – that recently established its first research clinic in Europe – participated. The World Health Organization was represented by Askar Yedilbayev that presented WHO's global guidelines and programs for a world free of tuberculosis.

“The fact that the World Health Organization today ranks tuberculosis as one of the three biggest threats to global public health is a strong contributor to the disease taking an increasingly central position on society's radar: Currently, Uppsala University is a vital partner in the multinational consortia UNITE4TB, ERA4TB and COMBINE. The pharmaceutical industry is showing a great deal of commitment, and hopefully we see the beginning of the international gathering of forces required to create new antibiotics and individual treatments,” says Ulrika Simonsson.

According to World Health Organization, an estimated 74 million lives have been saved since the year 2000 as a direct result of worldwide efforts to eliminate tuberculosis. Still, much work remains, and the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2022 states the need of “solidarity, determination, innovation and equitable use of tools to overcome serious health threats”. On Friday, September 22, the UN General Assembly will hold a summit with a focus on the fight against the disease, and preparations are already underway to take this summer's Gotland knowledge exchange to the next level.

(Image removed) On location in Visby

“Bringing the field together physically gives important energy to existing collaborations while being an opportunity to discuss current issues, identify common areas of interest and build interdisciplinary networks. Several of the topics highlighted in Visby we will lift again within the framework of the TBnet ongoing seminar series. In addition, the conference participants expressed strong interest in seeing each other again soon, so next time we will meet in Lithuania, which hopefully means that Uppsala University has laid the foundation for a new and important tradition.”

FACTS

Tuberculosis in the Baltic region • Moving into a new era was arranged by Uppsala University in collaboration with Research Center Borstel, Germany.
The conference took place 19–20 June 2023 in Visby, Gotland

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CONTACT

(Image removed) Ulrika Simonsson, Professor
Uppsala University
ulrika.simonsson@farmbio.uu.se

text: Magnus Alsne, photo: Mikael Wallerstedt, Ulrika Simonsson