42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health

The 42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health convened in Lille, France during the last week in October, bringing delegates from more than 100 countries together to discuss challenges ranging from the threat of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and the rising prevalence of non-communicable diseases to the need for more effective tobacco control and broader access to essential medicines and technologies.

Specialists and advocates discussed how innovative partnerships could help the international community meet these challenges. The theme of the conference, "Partnerships for Scaling-Up and Care," was reflected throughout the intensive five-day scientific program. 

For over two decades, Partners In Health has worked to treat and prevent tuberculosis (TB), drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR TB), and HIV/TB in some of the poorest and most vulnerable communities in the world, including Haiti, Malawi, Peru and Russia.

Working closely with our partners at Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and national TB and HIV programs, have developed and used a community-based approach and extended technical assistance to produce some of the highest cure rates and lowest treatment default rates ever recorded.

These results prove that health problems once thought untreatable can be addressed effectively, even in poor and geographically remote settings. Our goal is to share the success of our approach on a broad scale.

The Union World Conference is the largest annual conference that focuses in particular on these issues as they affect low- and middle-income populations and countries.