Thursday, July 22, 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 17-22 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 17-22 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor provides a snapshot of five major news pieces on tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, care and support related issues, from around the world, particularly prioritising news highlights from TB high-burdened countries and links to major TB-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 26 (17-22 July 2010).

1. TB-HIV co-infection: Giving ART and treating TB slow HIV progression
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
GIVE ART TO ALL HIV INFECTED TB PATIENTS REGARDLESS OF CD4 COUNT
The message was clear: Putting TB-HIV co-infected people on the anti-retroviral treatment (ART) do slow down HIV progression to AIDS. However ART induced immune maintenance and recovery have no difference on the outcome of anti-TB treatment in studies done in different parts of Asia and Africa, presented on second day of the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Vienna, Austria. Read more

2. Spain should increase investment in tuberculosis R & D
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
The Spanish government was encouraged to invest in tuberculosis research and development (R&D) as part of its policy of international cooperation in health. "Spanish government should support and fund the tuberculosis (TB) research and development (R & D) because we don't have adequate health tools to face the TB pandemic globally: more effective tools are needed. Research and development is essential part of international cooperation policies," said Laia Ruiz Mingote from Planeta Salud, who had a poster discussion on this issue at the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Vienna, Austria. Read more

3. Can TB patients say "Rights Here, Right Now"?
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
It is beyond doubt that community-led health responses have yielded satisfying results, yet genuine involvement of affected communities in TB control, is far from optimal. Nevertheless there are significant advancements made over the past years to push TB control stakeholders to meaningfully engage TB patients at every level of the TB response. "The theme of this year's XVIII World AIDS Conference is Rights here, Rights now, and from the Roadmap of HIV/TB sessions it is very encouraging to see that the Rights of TB-HIV co-infected patients are well represented during what promises to be a very full and interesting week" said Dr Anthony Harries, Senior Advisor, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). Read more

4. A new TB vaccine could be ready by 2020
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
The current tools are not enough to control tuberculosis epidemic. The 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Control Report says that the incidence of TB per capita continues to go down since 2004 however the decline is just one per cent per year which implies that TB will not be eliminated for centuries if we conduct 'business as usual'. The existing BCG vaccine which came into the market in 1921, has limited effectiveness in preventing people from TB. Further, the BCG vaccine which is used to prevent childhood TB may not be safe for children living with HIV. That is why Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation and other agencies including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are pushing hard to accelerate research and development of safe and effective TB vaccines. Read more

5. Priority is to up TB-HIV collaborative activities
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
There is convincing evidence that scaling up collaborative TB-HIV activities, improve TB and HIV programme performances. “In 2008, there were an estimated 9.4 million incident TB cases globally, more than at any other time in history. Of these, there were an estimated 1.4 million who were co-infected with HIV” said Professor (Dr) Anthony Harries, Senior Adviser to International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) at the pre-conference session of the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) in Vienna, Austria. "In 2008, there were 1.8 million estimated deaths from TB, of whom 0.52 million were co-infected with HIV, giving an HIV-TB case fatality rate of 37%" said Prof Harries. "The number of HIV co-infected TB cases is too high, and the number of HIV-associated TB deaths is too high" said Prof Harries. Read more
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WATCH THESE DATES!
July 18-23: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria
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USEFUL LINKS!

To download the 2010 report with new WHO data, Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: 2010 Global Report on Surveillance and Response, click here

To download or read the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), click here
To download or read The Stop TB Strategy, click here

To subscribe to the global Stop-TB eForum, established by Health & Development Networks (HDN), send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org


To download or read the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC), click here

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This CNS Stop-TB News Monitor is produced by
CNS Stop-TB Initiative, a partner of Stop TB Partnership

Thursday, July 15, 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 12-16 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 12-16 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor provides a snapshot of five major news pieces on tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, care and support related issues, from around the world, particularly prioritising news highlights from TB high-burdened countries and links to major TB-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 25 (12-16 July 2010).

1. A childhood free from tuberculosis (TB)
(Source: Shobha Shukla, Citizen News Service - CNS)
Tuberculosis (TB) is a major killer of children in poor countries. Over 250,000 children develop TB and every one minute two children die of TB worldwide. It has been estimated that as many as one third of the world's population is infected with TB, and an estimated 20-50% of children who live in households where an adult has active tuberculosis, become infected. "Also the power to resist TB infection is normally poor in the first 5 years of life, as the immune system is less developed. The resistance can be further reduced by malnutrition, HIV, other childhood infections and worm infestations – all too common in poor countries" said Professor (Dr) Surya Kant, from CSMMU. Good words of caution before the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) opens in Vienna, Austria next week. Read more

2. Speak-Your-World: Online consultation on TB-HIV issues in lead up to the XVIII IAC, Vienna
(Source: CNS Stop-TB Initiative)
The global Stop-TB eForum is hosting an online consultation/ dialogue, on key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in local contexts, from 2nd July to 6th of August 2010. This is a period during which the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) shall also be held in Vienna, Austria. This online consultation/ dialogue and gives people dealing with TB and HIV an opportunity to speak their world, and inform the issue-framework which the Key Correspondents team facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance shall use on-site at the XVIII IAC in Vienna. The issues flagged by the members shall also shape the coverage generated by citizen journalists of other networks like Citizen News Service (CNS). Read more

3. Almost half Russia prisoners are ill, with HIV or TB
(Source: Reuters)
Almost half of inmates in Russia's notorious prison system are ill, many infected with HIV or with tuberculosis, the country's Federal Prison Service said late Tuesday. Of Russia's 846,000 prisoners, the overwhelming majority of whom are men, just under half are ill, including 55,000 infected with HIV, highlighting the country's AIDS epidemic which Moscow blames on drug users who inject heroin from nearby Afghanistan. On official site fsin.su, the service's deputy head Nikolai Krivolapov added that 40,000 inmates have tuberculosis, 67,500 suffer mental disorders and 15,000 have syphilis. Read more

4. Affluent, educated avoid DOTS treatment for tuberculosis (TB)
(Source: The Times of India)
Published in renowned public heath journal BioMed Central on June 22, the study found that a whopping 85% of 200 patients interviewed were unaware of any concept called DOTS. Read more

5. Australia, Indonesia sign debt swap deal to fight TB
(Source: The Jakarta Post)
Australia, Indonesia and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM) signed an agreement that will support Indonesia’s fight against tuberculosis. The Debt2Health deal was announced by the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta. Read more
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WATCH THESE DATES!
July 18-23: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria
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USEFUL LINKS!

To download the 2010 report with new WHO data, Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: 2010 Global Report on Surveillance and Response, click here

To download or read the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), click here
To download or read The Stop TB Strategy, click here

To subscribe to the global Stop-TB eForum, established by Health & Development Networks (HDN), send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org


To download or read the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC), click here

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This CNS Stop-TB News Monitor is produced by
CNS Stop-TB Initiative, a partner of Stop TB Partnership

Saturday, July 10, 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 5-11 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 5-11 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor provides a snapshot of five major news pieces on tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, care and support related issues, from around the world, particularly prioritising news highlights from TB high-burdened countries and links to major TB-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 24 (5-11 July 2010).

1. Online discussion mini-series-1: TB and children
(Source: CNS Stop-TB Initiative)
From 2nd to 9th of July 2010, members are encouraged to share their perspectives and experiences on issues related to TB in children. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN: diagnosing TB in children; preventing TB in children; TB infection control and children; treating TB in children; TB-HIV co-infection and children. Members comments are most welcome. Send your comments to: bobby@citizen-news.org or join the global Stop-TB eForum by sending an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org . Read more

2. The outcasts of tuberculosis (TB): Fighting TB stigma
(Source: NDTV)
It may be curable but Tuberculosis (TB) remains a stigma in our country especially for women. Over a lakh (100,000) Indian women are thrown out of their homes each year because they have TB. Read more

3. Dual infections of TB and HIV make each other harder to treat
(Source: Voice of America - VoA)
"What we also see is a huge TB-HIV co-infection rate. So of all our TB patients, between 80 to 90 percent of them also have HIV," said Helen Bygrave, who is with Doctors without Borders. Read more

4. £ 180,000 bill to guard a person with TB
(Source: Belfast Telegraph)
The Republic of Ireland's health service has spent an estimated £180,000 to date on private security for a patient suffering from tuberculosis. Read more

5. Speak-Your-World: Online consultation on TB-HIV issues in lead up to the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC), Vienna
(Source: CNS Stop-TB Initiative)
The global Stop-TB eForum is hosting an online consultation/ dialogue, on key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in local contexts, from 2nd July to 6th of August 2010. This is a period during which the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) shall also be held in Vienna, Austria. This online consultation/ dialogue and gives people dealing with TB and HIV an opportunity to speak their world, and inform the issue-framework which the Key Correspondents team facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance shall use on-site at the XVIII IAC in Vienna. The issues flagged by the members shall also shape the coverage generated by citizen journalists of other networks like Citizen News Service (CNS). Read more
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WATCH THESE DATES!
July 18-23: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria
-----------------------------------------------------------------

USEFUL LINKS!

To download the 2010 report with new WHO data, Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: 2010 Global Report on Surveillance and Response, click here

To download or read the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), click here
To download or read The Stop TB Strategy, click here

To subscribe to the global Stop-TB eForum, established by Health & Development Networks (HDN), send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org


To download or read the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC), click here

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This CNS Stop-TB News Monitor is produced by
CNS Stop-TB Initiative, a partner of Stop TB Partnership

Sunday, July 4, 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 2-4 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 2-4 July 2010

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor provides a snapshot of five major news pieces on tuberculosis (TB) prevention, treatment, care and support related issues, from around the world, particularly prioritising news highlights from TB high-burdened countries and links to major TB-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 23 (2-4 July 2010).

1. Speak-Your-World: Online consultation on TB-HIV issues in lead up to the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC), Vienna
(Source: CNS Stop-TB Initiative)
The global Stop-TB eForum is hosting an online consultation/ dialogue, on key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in local contexts, from 2nd July to 6th of August 2010. This is a period during which the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) shall also be held in Vienna, Austria. This online consultation/ dialogue and gives people dealing with TB and HIV an opportunity to speak their world, and inform the issue-framework which the Key Correspondents team facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance shall use on-site at the XVIII IAC in Vienna. The issues flagged by the members shall also shape the coverage generated by citizen journalists of other networks like Citizen News Service (CNS). Read more

2. James Connolly Committed to Accelerating the Development of New Vaccines to Prevent TB
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation today announced that James E. Connolly has been named President and Chief Executive Officer. He joins Aeras after a career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Wyeth Vaccines. He will take over as Aeras President and CEO on August 9, 2010. Read more

3. Online discussion mini-series-1: TB and children
(Source: CNS Stop-TB Initiative)
From 2nd to 9th of July 2010, members are encouraged to share their perspectives and experiences on issues related to TB in children. WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN: diagnosing TB in children; preventing TB in children; TB infection control and children; treating TB in children; TB-HIV co-infection and children. Members comments are most welcome. Send your comments to: bobby@citizen-news.org or join the global Stop-TB eForum by sending an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org . Read more

4. Somalia Islamists say observing World TB Day, Health Day, is un-islamic
(Source: Times Live)
Events such as World TB Day should not be observed as they were un-Islamic, say Somalia Islamists. "Marking and celebrating for the events like Health day and Tuberculosis day is not also mentioned in the holy Koran and so that partying for those days is totally banned in Islam". Read more

5. Not just poor, even Mumbai affluent class is hit by tuberculosis (TB)
(Source: Daily News & Analysis - DNA)
According to the recent observations made by the Mumbai District TB Control Society (MDTCS), most people from the affluent class in the city are suffering from extra pulmonary TB (any TB outside of lungs). Read more
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WATCH THESE DATES!
July 18-23: XVIII International AIDS Conference, Vienna, Austria
-----------------------------------------------------------------

USEFUL LINKS!

To download the 2010 report with new WHO data, Multidrug and Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: 2010 Global Report on Surveillance and Response, click here

To download or read the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015), click here
To download or read The Stop TB Strategy, click here

To subscribe to the global Stop-TB eForum, established by Health & Development Networks (HDN), send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org


To download or read the International Standards of Tuberculosis Care (ISTC), click here

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This CNS Stop-TB News Monitor is produced by
CNS Stop-TB Initiative, a partner of Stop TB Partnership

Friday, July 2, 2010

Online discussion mini-series: TB and Children

Stop-TB eForum Resource Team
To JOIN the global Stop-TB eForum, send an email to: join-stop-TB@eforums.healthdev.org
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BACKGROUND:
As you know, the global Stop-TB eForum is hosting an online consultation/ dialogue, on key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in local contexts, from 2nd July to 6th of August 2010. This is a period during which the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) shall also be held in Vienna, Austria. This online consultation/ dialogue gives people dealing with TB and HIV an opportunity to SPEAK THEIR WORLD, and inform the issue-framework which the Key Correspondents team facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance shall use on-site at the XVIII IAC in Vienna. The issues flagged by the members shall also shape the coverage generated by citizen journalists of other networks like Citizen News Service (CNS).

MINI-SERIES I: TB and Children
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From 2nd to 9th of July 2010, members are encouraged to share their perspectives and experiences on issues related to TB in children.

WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES IN:
- diagnosing TB in children
- preventing TB in children
- TB infection control and children
- treating TB in children
- TB-HIV co-infection and children

Members comments are most welcome.

Stop-TB eForum Resource Team

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Online dialogue/ consultation on TB-HIV around the XVIII IAC

[To join the global Stop-TB eForum, send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org]

The global Stop-TB eForum is hosting an online consultation/ dialogue, on key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in local contexts, from 2nd July to 6th of August 2010. This is a period during which the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC) shall also be held in Vienna, Austria.

This online consultation/ dialogue and gives people dealing with TB and HIV an opportunity to speak their world, and inform the issue-framework which the Key Correspondents team facilitated by the International HIV/AIDS Alliance shall use on-site at the XVIII IAC in Vienna. The issues flagged by the members shall also shape the coverage generated by citizen journalists of other networks like Citizen News Service (CNS).

MINI-SERIES
The online dialogue/consultation spanning five weeks (2nd of July to 6th of August) will be a mini-series of a group of sub-themes:

CORE-THEME:
2nd July-6th August: Members are encouraged to raise the key issues impeding TB and HIV collaborative activities in their local contexts

SUB-THEMES FOR MINI-SERIES:
- 2-9 July: TB and children
- 10-18 July: Anti-TB Drug resistance: how can we prevent it in our local contexts?
- 19-25 July: TB-HIV co-infection: What's happening and what could be done better?
- 25 July - 6 August: New tools: TB Vaccines
    * Why we need a TB vaccine
    * Vaccine science and clinical trials basics
    * Vaccines research as part of the comprehensive response to TB
    * How communities are being involved in the process
    * What can be done to support and accelerate research

Be welcome to speak your world!

Stop-TB eForum Resource Team
[To join, send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org]

James Connolly Committed to Accelerating the Development of New Vaccines to Prevent TB


The Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation today announced that James E. Connolly has been named President and Chief Executive Officer.  He joins Aeras after a career in the pharmaceutical industry, most recently as Executive Vice President and General Manager of Wyeth Vaccines.  He will take over as Aeras President and CEO on August 9, 2010.