Thursday, March 24th, 2005
JATA and Results Japan Host World Tuberculosis Day Event at TDLC
Regional symposium emphasizes community health and access to treatment to fight HIV/TB co-epidemic
Ms. Kaoru Sugita accpets the post of Special JATA Ambassador
The Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA) and Results Japan hosted a regional symposium at the Tokyo Development Learning Center to mark World Tuberculosis Day on March 24. A large audience was in attendance in Tokyo, and the symposium was joined via the GDLN by Dr. Irawan Kosasih of Indonesia's Ministry of Public Health from the IFC's Jakarta office.
The first session of the symposium was chaired by Ms. Takeko Yamashita, Director of JATA's Business Department and opened with the appointment of Japanese actress Kaoru Sugita as Special JATA Ambassador. Ms. Yamashita was joined on the first panel by Mr. Winstone Zulu, a leading global advocate on TB and HIV/AIDS, and Dr. Jintana Ngamvithayapong-Yanai, President of the TB/HIV Research Foundation in Thailand.
Takeko Yamshita (left) chairs the symposium's first session with Winstone Zulu (center) and Dr. Jintana Ngamvithayapong-Yanai
Mr. Zulu's presentation began with video of Nelson Mandela praising his work in raising global awareness of the TB/HIV co-epidemic, and he then delivered moving testimony based on his and his family's first-hand experience to the need to increase access to treatment and how this is, ultimately, the simple difference between life and death.
Dr. Ngamvithayapong-Yanai then delivered a presentation called "TB/HIV: From Killing to Caring and Cure" which provided an overview of the global and regional severity of the epidemics, and then focused on community-based initiatives in Thailand. She drew on extensive fieldwork to suggest ways in which the diseases can be more actively fought, and communities more effectively protected.
From left: Kiyoko Ikegami, Director, UNFPA Tokyo office; Dr. Tadao Shimao, President, Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention; Mr. Shigeki Sumi, Deputy Director-General, Multilateral Cooperation Dept., Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Takashi Sawada, Vice Representative, Services for Health in Asia & Africa Region; Mr. Masaki Inaba, Africa Japan Forum; Dr. Toru Mori, Director, The Research Institute of Tuberculosis
The second session consisted of a panel discussion, expertly moderated by Ms. Kiyoko Ikegami, Director of UNFPA's Tokyo office, comprised of expert representatives from government, medical associations, and NPOs. The panellists looked at the range of action actually required at various levels to fight TB/HIV, paying particular attention to how Japanese government and social programs can provide greater support and mobilize increased resources.
Dr. Kosasih of the National TB Control Program in Indonesia's Ministry of Public Health provided a local overview of the situation in Indonesia and stressed the need for increased efforts in acknowledging and fighting TB's role in the HIV epidemic. Throughout the symposium, Dr. Kosasih actively participated in discussions and fielded questions from panellists and members of the audience.
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Related Links:
Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association
World Tuberculosis Day website (WHO)
United Nations Population Fund
Japanese Foundation for AIDS Prevention
