World Health Organisation (WHO) visits Centenary
27 March, 2019 
Above: Prof Mathew Vadas AO, Executive Director of Centenary, Medical Officer Kefas Samson of the WHO Global TB Programme, Geneva, and Dr Richard Stapledon Chair of the rGLC, WHO Western Pacific Region meet at the Consultant Training for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.
Emergent drug resistant, especially multi-drug and rifampicin resistant tuberculosis threatens the health security of the Western Pacific region.
In 2017, there were an estimated 114,000 incident cases of multi-drug and rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in the region of whom less than 25 per cent received adequate treatment.
We are delighted to have representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the regional Green Light Committee (rGLC) with us in Sydney joining with the NHMRC Tuberculosis Centre of Research Excellence (TB CRE) to host a three-day training program.
The Western Pacific Regional Office of World Health Organization End TB unit and the regional Green Light Committee (rGLC) is expanding its pool of consultants providing countries with technical assistance on the programmatic management of drug-resistant tuberculosis (PMDT).
Featuring world-leading experts in the field of tuberculosis control and management the training program is being held at Centenary to develop an adequate and competent pool of regional consultants to provide technical assistance for the programmatic management of multi-drug and rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in the Western Pacific Region.
Tuberculosis occurs in every part of the world. In 2017, the largest number of new TB cases occurred in the South-East Asia and Western Pacific regions, with 62% of new cases, followed by the African region, with 25% of new cases. Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. WHO has gone one step further and set a 2035 target of 95% reduction in deaths and a 90% decline in TB incidence – similar to current levels in low TB incidence countries today.
Read the WHO Media Release here.
