“Why was Estonia
chosen as the venue for the Second Global Forum on TB Vaccines?”
Estonia and its neighboring countries in Eastern
Europe and Russia
face tremendous challenges in TB control, including some of the highest rates
of drug-resistant TB in the world.The
threat of TB will not be eliminated globally unless it is addressed in all
regions where it is endemic; and increasing rates of drug-resistant TB make it
all the more important to address TB in this region.
Through
leadership, innovation and commitment, Estonia has made great progress in
its TB control efforts.A decade ago, it
was among the countries with the highest prevalence of drug-resistant TB in the
world.To address this, Estonia was one
of the first countries in the region to implement a nationwide DOTS program,
and just a few years thereafter pilot programs for treating drug-resistant TB
were implemented and rapidly expanded to achieve nationwide coverage.It is one of the few countries among the 27
with high burdens of drug-resistant TB to have all components of effective
management of multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) in place. As a result of these
efforts, Estonia
is one of only a few countries in the world that has reversed rising high rates
of MDR-TB, ultimately achieving a decline.
New
TB vaccines that are effective against all forms of TB, including
drug-resistant TB, will be essential to meeting the global target of
eliminating TB as a public health threat by 2050.The search for new vaccines will require
vision, leadership, innovation and commitment in the face of daunting
challenges; characteristics that have been demonstrated by the government and
people of Estonia
in addressing TB within their country.For this reason, it is an honor and a privilege to convene the 2nd
Global Forum on TB Vaccines in Estonia.