Meeting of the National HIV Programme Managers in the WHO European Region (The Hague, Netherlands, 16 May 2019). Report

HIV and tuberculosis (TB) form a deadly combination. The risk of developing TB is far greater for people living with HIV and TB is a leading killer among this population. People suffering from TB/HIV coinfection are at increased risk of failing their treatment regimen and have amplified risk of mortality compared to people who have TB disease alone.

Held back to back with the Wolfheze Workshops 2019, the WHO Regional Office for Europe gathered for the first time both HIV and TB national representatives and relevant partners in a joint National HIV Programme Managers Meeting to coordinate and to strengthen the response to the increasing rates of HIV and TB/HIV coinfection in the Region. The meeting took place in The Hague, Netherlands, on 16–17 of May, and focused on both the commitments made at the first ever United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis and those in (i) the Action Plan for the Health Sector Response to HIV in the WHO European Region, and (ii) the Tuberculosis Action Plan for the WHO European Region 2016–2020; with the aim of identifying the best ways for countries to move towards the agreed targets in the response to both epidemics.

The meeting was jointly coordinated and hosted by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation. This report focuses on the specific Meeting of the National HIV Programme Managers in the WHO European Region held on 16th May 2019.