Participants of the intercountry meeting on MDR-TB community management, palliative care, stigma, ethical issues and pharmaco-vigilanceThe Stop TB programme organized a multicountry workshop on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) community management, palliative care, stigma, ethical considerations and pharmacovigilance in Cairo from 10 to 14 June. The workshop was attended by participants from Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia and Yemen.

The five-day intensive workshop provided an opportunity to develop an understanding of community-based care models of MDR-TB, a growing challenge for national TB control programmes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. Stigma and ethical issues were highlighted as cross-cutting themes to be considered and addressed while designing and implementing MDR-TB interventions. Experts from WHO headquarters and the Region joined Regional Office staff in conducting this workshop  which ended with the development of draft action plans on MDR-TB activities.