Union member news
On 13 June, The Union’s constituent member for Bangladesh, the National Anti-Tuberculosis Association of Bangladesh (NATAB), held its annual tuberculosis conference in Dhaka. Close to 600 delegates attended, from political leaders, health professionals and non-governmental organisations to donor agencies and the media. All branches of NATAB also participated.
While the conference focused primarily on topics related to TB, this year’s programme also included two sessions on tobacco control, highlighting the link between TB, tobacco use and non-communicable diseases.
Mr. Mahbubul Alam Tahin, Technical Consultant for The Union, described “Sustainable Funding Models for Tobacco Control/NCDs”, showing how strategies, such as increasing the tax on tobacco products, can not only reduce tobacco use and tobacco-related diseases, but also generate much-needed funds for public health.
Mr. A.K.M Khalil Ullah, Project Manager for tobacco control, NATAB focused on the “Implementation of Tobacco Control Law and Barriers to Achieve Smokefree Zones”. The TCP is a recipient of a Bloomberg Initiative grant managed by The Union and has been active in the development of Bangladesh’s tobacco control taskforces, which have been very effective in enforcing the country’s smokefree and other policies.
The World Health Organization ranks Bangladesh as one of the high-burden countries for tobacco use – a statistic of concern to people involved with TB, since studies have shown that smokers are three times as likely to develop active TB as non-smokers, their treatment outcomes are less good, and, if they continue or resume smoking after treatment, they are more likely to relapse and develop recurrent TB.