Krystyna Rivers
TBpeople

My name is Krystyna Rivers. I'm a TB survivor from Kyev, Ukraine. I'm a member of the Communities Delegation by UNITAID and a member of TB people, the global network of people affected by TB.

So far in this module you have learned why we need new TB vaccines. You have learned about the limitations of BCG, the century-old TB vaccine, and currently the only TB vaccine approved to use.

You have learned about the potential public health impact that
a new vaccine could have and what it would mean for communities affected by TB.

You have learned about new developments in TB vaccines research and how to stay up to date into the future.

In this lesson, you will practice putting this knowledge together and communicate it in an effective way. You will again be using the laser talk. You will remember the EPIC format: Engage your audience, Present the problem, Inform them about solutions, and issue a Call to action. The benefit of this approach is that you can present a compelling case for action in under one minute.

Here's how laser talk might go if you want someone to support research for new TB vaccines.

In this example, we are asking a parliamentarian's office to sponsor a briefing on new vaccines within parliament.

Engage. With COVID-19 we saw how important vaccines are to preventing serious sickness and death. We have also seen how much the scientific community and governments can accomplish when there's an urgent push to develop new vaccines, backed up by adequate funding.

Problem. TB killed 1.4 million people a year before COVID struck. Like COVID-19, TB is airborne and mostly affects the lungs. Yet, the vaccine used for TB is 100 years old and, while it's largely given to infants worldwide, it fails to protect people against TB as they get
older.

Inform. An effective new TB vaccine would help countries make big strides toward ending TB. Millions of people each year would no longer get sick or die. At the same time a new vaccine would save health systems the costs that would have gone into TB care and
support and free health workers up to focus on other patients.

Call to action. Vaccines research has progressed to the point where we could soon see the first new TB vaccine approved for use in more than hundred years. Your colleagues would benefit from a briefing on the status of TB vaccines research, how our government
can play a role in bringing new TB vaccines to market. Do you agree to sponsor a briefing?

For the final activity in this module, you are going to develop your own laser talk on new TB vaccines. Remember start by engaging your new audience. Tell them something that will get their attention. Your goal is to introduce the issue and get them to listen to what else you have to say.

Then present the problem. Follow that by informing them with solutions. And finish with a call to action.

You can develop your laser talk by drawing on all of the resources you are now familiar with. And be sure to practice your talk with someone in your home, your team, or in your community. Ask your listener to give you any tips to help you improve your talk. If you are
developing your laser talk for an email or a letter, also be sure to read it out loud so you can hear how it sounds. Then refine your laser talk until you are comfortable and confident delivering it for others.