Global March for TB

“VIVA new TB treatment VIVA” screamed a TB nurse perching on the back of a lorry above a 3000 plus crowd, who chanted back: “VIVA!”. She was followed by equally energetic speeches about the need for new, effective and simple TB diagnostics; new funding into TB research; more HIV treatment; community based care; and even vision and leadership on TB. Music boomed out from the enormous speaker system, on the other half of the lorry come stage, and the sea of red campaigning t-shirts below jived and sung!

The Global March for TB treatment was just warming up. The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) - most famous for taking Phizer and the South African government to court in 2002 to secure treatment for mother to child transmission of HIV - had impressively bussed 1000s of their campaigners from around South and Southern Africa, to coincide with the international TB conference starting in Cape Town the next day.

I climbed a tree to get a better view. Still dressed in hospital gear: shinny black shoes and blue non-iron shirt, I must have looked ridiculously out of place!

The march set off from the outskirts of town, below table mountain, towards the international conference centre. I joined Rachel (she has just arrived in Cape Town to work with TAC, for those who don’t know her, a great friend since I met her while doing International Health) and flapped a banner asking for improved TB treatment around.

The march went along the main highways of Cape Town and eventually arrived at the conference centre where more powerful speeches were given, including speakers from Latin America and Malawi, and a memorandum was delivered to the head of the conference organizers.

The march marked a new move for the TAC into TB advocacy, who have historically focused solely on HIV. Most HIV patients die from TB, so its a much needed move. And something to get excited about: lack of political action is a big driver of the TB epidemic, and TAC have an impressive track record of getting HIV up the political agenda. Hopefully they can do the same with TB!

It's also politicized my research - TAC are calling for more community based care - its just how the we describe the intervention I'm helping to evaluate.