Doors open for the Union World Conference

The 48th Union World Conference on Lung Health began this morning when the doors opened for registration at Expo Guadalajara, Mexico. More than 4,000 delegates, representing 100 countries, will take part in this annual gathering of researchers, scientists, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and students – united by a commitment to improving lung health.

‘Accelerating Toward Elimination’, this year’s theme, references the ground-breaking science that will be presented over the next four days. And it draws together the goals of all aspects of The Union’s lung health work: progress toward ending tuberculosis and its co-morbidities, preventing the death and disease caused by tobacco use and reducing air pollution. A full programme of plenaries, symposia, oral abstracts and poster sessions will explore ways to accelerate toward elimination on these multiple fronts.

Delegates will also experience Encuentro - the vibrant space for debate and advocacy created by civil society organisations that fight tirelessly for the rights of all people to lung health and clean air, and push for the best advances in science to become life-saving new policies.

As experts from around the world gather to share ground-breaking research, experiences and approaches for improving lung health this 48th Union World Conference offers an opportunity to build the networks and momentum needed to overcome some of the world’s most pressing public health challenges.

Mexico offers a fitting backdrop for this important gathering - facing challenges for reducing the burden of TB and celebrating progress in its battles against tobacco use and air pollution.