Belgium

On behalf of Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr Roberto Bertollini, Head of the WHO Office at the European Union, and Dr Masoud Dara, Programme Manager, Tuberculosis & M/XDR-TB, attended two events at the European Parliament in Brussels. On 21 March 2012, members of the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety organized a hearing on tuberculosis and M/XDR-TB. Dr Bertollini presented the latest epidemiological data and WHO/Europe’s response to TB and M/XDR-TB, and Dr Marc Sprenger, Director of ECDC, gave a talk on TB and MDR-TB in the European Union. The presentations were followed by questions and answers.

On 22 March 2012 and on the occasion of World TB Day, a symposium was hosted by Member of the European Parliament, Mr Charles Goerens for Europe and ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States). This event, which was facilitated by the Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI), presented a blue print for the development of a vaccine against TB.

Dr Bertollini made a presentation on behalf of the Regional Director. The WHO/Europe delegation answered questions and participated in the discussions with other experts and stakeholders. A new TB vaccine is urgently needed and there are several proposals for a vaccine; however, we are still far from having a safe and effective vaccine against the disease.