#UNIONCONF ADVANCING PREVENTION Social Media Toolkit – #PreventionIsPowerful

THE UNION CONFERENCE 2020 – ADVANCING PREVENTION

Social Media Toolkit – #PreventionIsPowerful

OVERVIEW

The IMPAACT4TB project has introduced a new way to tackle TB. The project is prioritizing short-course TB preventive therapy (TPT) for those most at risk of contracting TB and dying from the disease, including people living with HIV and children under five in 12 high-burden countries—who represent 50% of the global TB burden. Subsequently, the project will target all those in close contact with TB patients across those 12 countries.

TB prevention is particularly important during the global COVID-19 pandemic—by preventing those who are at highest risk from developing TB, we can protect them from potentially suffering more severe symptoms from COVID-19. Household contacts of known TB cases who may be at risk of getting TB and COVID-19 can also benefit from TPT. 

The TB community is urged to act quickly to adapt and strengthen TB service provision to maximise the health and safety of vulnerable TB patients and TB healthcare workers during this pandemic. Advocacy is critical to ensure TB remains a national priority.

THE UNION CONFERENCE 2020 – #ADVANCINGPREVENTION

The Union Conference 2020 theme, Advancing Prevention, highlights the key to ending TB—Prevention! Yet it has been long neglected as a research and operational priority. Preventing lung disease is more urgent than ever as the world responds to the COVID-19 pandemic, which is pushing health systems worldwide to breaking point. For this reason, prevention will take center stage at the 51st Union World Conference on Lung Health, 20-24 October 2020.

THE CAMPAIGN: PREVENT TB, TO END TB #PreventionIsPowerful

The IMPAACT4TB consortium is playing a major global role in creating demand and building momentum across 12 project countries in the procurement and rollout of TPT, and specifically 3HP. The Consortium partners together with local civil society organizations (CSOs) in the various countries are actively working towards creating awareness on the importance of preventing TB.

Key Messages: 

• Rifapentine-based regimens are game-changers for both TB Treatment and TB Prevention. Latest study results of Study 31/A5349
• We can get even more PLHIV on TPT with short-course regimens. Imagine if we can double the numbers in the same time period!
• More PLHIVs on TB prevention means less PLHIV needing treatment for TB.
• We should be using more patient-friendly regimens that are less toxic than INH.
• Completion rates better with 3HP than INH.
• Great progress to meet the target for TPT but many more PLHIV are in need of TPT
• TPT targets are close to being met with INH, but we need short-course regimens to ensure treatment completion

 HOW THE TOOLKIT CAN HELP

This toolkit contains materials and resources which can be used throughout the Union Conference and beyond, highlighting the need for preventive therapies. To get involved you can:

1. Share our sample social media messages or write your own

1. Join various sessions on TPT at the Union Conference sessions. TPT roadmap here
2. The IMPAACT4TB consortium has developed tools to assist healthcare workers and programs in decision making to:
   1. Start TPT in the setting of COVID-19. Tools are available on our website here.
   2. Assist implementation of TPT in project countries. Tools are available here.

 HASHTAGS

You are encouraged to include the following hashtags to your posts so that all those working towards the #EndTB UN targets by 2022 can advocate in a unified voice.

#EndTB #PreventionIsPowerful #AdvancingPrevention #impaact4tb #unionconf

Follow IMPAAACT4TB partners social media profiles:

• Facebook: @theauruminstitute @clintonhealthaccessinitiative @kncvtuberculosisfoundation @treatmentactiongroup
• Twitter: @auruminstitute @clintonhealth @kncvtbc @TAGteam_tweets @johnshopkins
• Instagram: @auruminstitute @kncv_tuberculosefonds @treatmentactiongroup

SAMPLE FACEBOOK MESSAGES

• Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease and accounts for 1.5 million preventable deaths every year. The Impaact4TB consortium is attending this year’s virtual Union Conference on Lung Health where the focus will be on #AdvancingPrevention so together we can #EndTB. #preventionispowerful
• If you are participating in the @unionconference don’t miss our partner satellite session: Moving away from isoniazid for TB preventive treatment. Connect on Channel 3 Wednesday 21 Oct, 15:00 CET. #preventionispowerful #impaact4tb
• We are advancing prevention at this year’s @unionconference in order to #EndTB. The Impaact4TB consortium partners will be actively involved in sessions and oral presentations. To view the full program, visit https://bit.ly/35MmQVw #preventionispowerful
• High burden countries need to take immediate measures to continue TB treatment and prevention services during COVID-19 pandemic and get back on track to achieve the UNGA targets to #endTB #preventionispowerful
• Data from South Africa show a 2-2.5 times higher risk of COVID-19 death associated with HIV and TB. By preventing TB, we can protect those at highest risk.
• #TB is the main cause of morbidity, mortality and suffering among persons with #HIV infection and their families. By #advancingprevention we can protect all communities. #preventionispowerful

SAMPLE TWITTER MESSAGES

• #Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease and accounts for 1.5 million preventable deaths every year. At #UnionConf we will be focusing on #AdvancingPrevention so together we can #EndTB. #preventionispowerful
• If you are participating in the @unionconference don’t miss our partner satellite session, Moving away from isoniazid for TB preventive treatment. Connect on Channel 3 Wednesday 21 Oct, 15:00 CET. #preventionispowerful #impaact4tb
• We are #advancingprevention @unionconference to #EndTB. #Impaact4TB consortium partners will be actively involved in sessions and oral pressentations. Full program: https://bit.ly/35MmQVw #preventionispowerful
• The COVID-19 pandemic is threatening hard-won gains in the fight to #EndTB and setting the world off track for meeting our global UN targets 🎯 by 2022. We must continue to provide TB care, treatment, and prevention. #preventionispowerful
• By preventing TB, we can 🛡️ protect those at highest risk from potentially suffering more severe symptoms from COVID-19. Find out more: impaact4tb.org  
• Last year 3.8M people living w/ HIV received TB preventive therapy according to @WHO 2020 Global TB Report. By using short-course regimens, we could reach 2X that number of people in the next year alone. Find out more www.impaact4tb.org/ #AdvancingPrevention #UnionConf   
• We’ve made great progress towards our TB prevention therapy 🎯, but we could reach even more people living with HIV by using short-course regimens. Find out more www.impaact4tb.org/ #AdvancingPrevention #UnionConf   

  https://twitter.com/UNAIDS/status/1318536447423545347  

• Congratulations to everyone involved in study of new regimen that could drastically shorten the duration of TB treatment 👏👏. Shorter rifapentine-based regimens are game-changers for both TB treatment & TB prevention #EndTB #AdvancingPrevention #UnionConf https://bit.ly/2HiGChz

• Since 2018, over 5M people living with HIV have received TB prevention therapy, representing 88% of our global 🎯. But there are many more people in need and to reach them all we need to scale-up the use of short-course regimens #preventionispowerful #UnionConf 

SAMPLE INSTAGRAM POSTS AND IMAGES

Follow the consortium on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impaact4tb/ 

WHATSAPP

Share this message with your contacts on WhatsApp to help spread the word about #IMPAACT4TB.

• #Tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease and accounts for 1.5 million preventable deaths every year. At this year’s #UnionConf we will be focusing on #AdvancingPrevention so together we can #EndTB. If you are participating in the conference, don’t miss our partner satellite sessions. Join various sessions on TPT, roadmap here. Find out more: impaact4tb.org