24 March 2003

Less than three months to go before World TB Day on 24 March 2003. This year’s campaign focuses on "People with TB" with the slogan "DOTS cured me – it will cure you too!". The theme has been chosen from over 100 entries submitted for consideration from many sources — health and community care workers, doctors, non-governmental organizations and others with an interest in TB. Responses came from all around the world: Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, the Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, UK and the United States, among others.

The theme stresses the need to address People with TB by involving them as advocates for global TB control. By stressing patient advocates, the theme supports case detection and DOTS expansion, one of the key objectives of the Global Plan to Stop TB launched in 2001, urging stakeholders to accelerate action.

We have compiled the excellent work done by different partners and national programmes for World TB Day 2002, which had the theme "Stop TB - Fight Poverty". The Highlights Report contains a host of different innovative activities and ideas that you can adapt to your needs and use for World TB Day 2003. We urge you to go through this document and use it to your benefit. If you have access to the Internet, click here to view the report at the StopTB website:

<http://stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2002/Final_Highlights_Report_2002.pdf>

Over the next weeks we will send you additional information and materials designed to be resources that might be of assistance to you as you prepare for World TB Day 2003.

Are you organized for World TB Day?
Remember that World TB Day is above all a media event and so planning efforts must be organized with the media in mind. This provides an opportunity to turn the public's attention to the good work that you have done, the TB situation in your region, and what your communities can do to stop TB. Since countries and regions will adapt the global theme and choose locally relevant activities and messages for World TB Day, remember to package your message appropriately. Profile your target audience. Tailor your messages for World TB Day so that they make sense to your audience.

Have you formed a World TB Day Planning Committee?
Remember that effective planning is critical to ensure the success of your World TB Day campaign. It's not too late to begin now and form a World TB Day Planning Committee. Select committee members carefully — how well they can work as a team and what skills and resources they can bring that will affect the outcome of your campaign. Experience suggests that a Planning Committee is most effective when regular meetings are held, when a local member chairs the meetings, and when the minutes of the meeting are shared with others.

Think about inviting representatives from organizations or groups that you know are committed, active and interested in TB. They can suggest other members for the Planning Committee such as national or regional TB programmes, NGOs, medical associations, student groups, religious groups and the media. Keep in mind your target audience for activities, who you have worked with successfully in the past, and new faces you would like to involve. Remember to select a Planning Committee representative for the media.

World TB Day Alert is a series of information bulletins issued every ten days in the run-up to World TB Day. Each message is intended to alert people to the number of days left to 24 March 2003 and advise practical steps to ensure the success of the global campaign for "DOTS cured me - it will cure you too!".

Some of the information in this World TB Day Alert is taken from:

- "Guidelines for Social Mobilization: Planning World TB Day"
< /events/world_tb_day/2000/assets/documents/tbguide.pdf>

- "Forging New Partnerships to Stop TB: Highlights of Activities in Countries, World TB Day 2000" </events/world_tb_day/2000/Highlights2000.htm>

These publications may be ordered from the CDS Documents Centre at mailto: cdsdoc@who.int. For further information on World TB Day, please visit our web site: www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2003/default.asp, or contact the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at: stoptbinfo@who.int.