ISU researchers find clue to stopping tuberculosis

(Source: ISD News, 28 February 2011)
Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. It is a pathogen, which means it can be spread through the air when an infected person coughs and another person breathes it into their lungs, according to Reuban Peters, leader of Iowa State's team of scientists dedicated to this research. When the human body’s immune system recognizes the foreign bacteria, sentinel cells try to “eat the bacteria and kill it inside the cell,” Peters said.

In December of 2005, researchers began work on a clue that could lead to understanding tuberculosis and the immune system. They collaborated with teams from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. “We discovered something the bacteria makes, a chemical,” Peters said. Read more

MEPs, OETC visit new TB vaccine trial site to express support for candidate development

(Source: The Medical News, 28 February 2011)
Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE:EBS) announced that a joint delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and representatives from the Oxford-Emergent Tuberculosis Consortium (OETC) today visited the trial site where MVA85A, the world's most clinically advanced tuberculosis (TB) vaccine candidate in development, is being studied in a Phase IIb infant efficacy clinical trial. This clinical trial in Worcester, South Africa is being conducted by the University of Cape Town's South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative (SATVI), in partnership with OETC and Aeras. Read more

Immunitor Presents Positive TB Treatment Data at African Conference

(Source: MSN News, 28 February 2011)
After AIDS, tuberculosis is the second most common cause of death from an infectious disease, with approximately 2 million people dying each year. Current treatments are not fully effective, particularly against multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) and HIV-TB, and strenuous treatment regimens lasting for up to 2 years are required.

"Immunitor's products, some of which are approved for sale in African countries, including Nigeria, offer effective and safe treatment solutions. Nigeria ranks 4th among high burden countries where TB is rampant. V5 is inexpensive, easy to administer, stable at tropical temperature, and is made from readily available sources, which suits ideally developing countries," said Vichai Jirathitikal, co-founder and co-inventor of the Immunitor oral vaccine platform. Read more

Kulthi eliminates kidney stones

(Source: Deccan Chronicle, 28 February 2011)
Macrotyloma is used in tribal systems of medicine the world over, while in India practitioners of Unani and Ayurveda often prescribe it for health problems like cough, breathing trouble, ulcers and gas in the stomach, worm infection and excessive sweating. It is also recognised as a natural health tonic for general well being. Some herbalists consider Kulthi a good food that controls arthritis.

Pregnant women and those suffering from tuberculosis should be cautious about using this . Macrotyloma may cause severe health complications in pregnant women and tuberculosis patients. So avoid this even as a food legume. Since Kulthi is a common legume used in kitchen preparations, it can be obtained from any grocery store. Ready-made herbal formulations based on Kulthi are also available in herbal stores. Read more

Investigating TB Outbreak Using Genomics

(Source: Biomed MD News, 28 February 2011)
Scientists supported by Genome BC have set a new standard for studying outbreaks of infectious disease by combining advanced genomics with a detailed map of the social relationships between cases to investigate a recent outbreak of tuberculosis in a BC community. The study tracked 41 individuals who developed tuberculosis: patient interviews revealed a tightly-knit community where most patients knew one another, while DNA fingerprinting of the bacterial samples from each individual showed them to be identical to each other. These two factors together made reconstructing the outbreak family tree impossible. Read more

Tuberculosis rates in Birmingham reach Third World levels

(Source: Birmingham News, 28 February 2011)
The Government is being urged to reconsider its policy on vaccinating all schoolchildren for tuberculosis (TB) as rates in Birmingham reach Third World levels. The city’s Health Scrutiny Committee is writing to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley asking if the city can bring back jabs for all children and vulnerable adults. It comes after thousands of residents signed three petitions circulating across the city backing the reinstatement of a mass vaccination programme for schoolchildren, which was abandoned by the Government in 2005.

The disease has killed at least 68 people in the city in the past five years including 15-year-old pupil Alina Sarag, from Golden Hillock School in Sparkhill, who died in January. Read more

New antibody therapy to tackle tuberculosis

(Source: Wellcome News, 28 February 2011)
A new study, funded jointly by the Wellcome Trust and the Dunhill Medical Trust, describes an antibody-based therapy that protects against tuberculosis infection in mice. The findings could lead to new treatments for human tuberculosis, which remains a huge public health burden worldwide.

Researchers from the University of Dundee, King's College London and St George's Hospital Medical School have developed a monoclonal antibody that was found to offer protection against tuberculosis (TB) infection in experimental models when combined with interferon, a modulator of the immune system. TB remains a recognised global emergency, claiming around two million lives across the world each year, and 2010 saw the largest number of new cases of TB in the UK for more than a decade. Read more

TB misdiagnosis payout for woman refused visa

(Source: Shanghai Express, 28 February 2011)
A WOMAN refused entry into New Zealand after being wrongly diagnosed with tuberculosis by a downtown hospital has been awarded 18,000 yuan (US$2,736) in compensation. A hospital in Jing'an District was ordered to pay the sum under court mediation to the woman, surnamed Wang, who had her visa application turned down by New Zealand immigration following its report. Only after Wang was confirmed healthy by another official hospital did she receive her visa in October 2009, a year after her initial application. Read more

Workshop on TB programme held

(Source: The Times of India, 28 February 2011)
A one-day national workshop on 'revised TB programme' was organised by the Banaras branch of Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday in the city. While inaugurating the workshop, Sanjana Sikri, national project director of IMA, said, "The time has come when states like UP and Bihar became models for successful implementation of DOTS programme to control tuberculosis."

Highlighting the cases of drug resistant TB on the occasion, J K Samaria of Banaras Hindu University said that such cases are rising because TB patients are not following the guidelines of TB control programmes. Read more

Global Fund Back With New Hope

(Source: IPS News, 26 February 2011)
Burma’s transition from an overt military rule to a civilian administration of retired generals is getting a shot in the arm from a former critic of the junta – the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Fund that left the South-East Asian nation in protest more than five years ago is returning this year to Burma, or Myanmar. The move follows three agreements inked last November to finance two-year grants of up to 112.8 million dollars against the three killer diseases. It marks an increase from the 98.4 million dollars that the Geneva-based humanitarian body had pledged during its first foray. The group pulled out in August 2005 citing political interference in its programmes. Read more

Elephant spreads TB to sanctuary workers

(Source: Statesman Journal, 26 February 2011)
A tuberculosis outbreak among workers at a Tennessee elephant sanctuary in 2009 is being blamed on one of the pachyderms, even though some of the employees didn't have close contact with the animal. Elephants can carry TB, and there have been reports of them spreading it to people who touch them. In this instance, TB spread to eight employees, though three of them didn't work directly with the elephant, according to a report released Feb. 16 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read more

Crack cocaine spurs surge in TB

(Source: The Chicago News, 26 February 2011)
Scientists studying an outbreak of tuberculosis in Port Alberni have developed a new picture of disease transmission linked to a sudden arrival of crack cocaine in the community. Their study, published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that the outbreak developed not in a straight line, in which one infected individual passed it to others. Instead, the infection progressed in bursts that resulted in sudden clusters of infected people. The clusters were connected to the drug's arrival. Read more

GLOBAL FUND HERE TO MONITOR FUNDING

(Source: The Swazi Observer, 26 February 2011)
Global Fund, one of the largest HIV and AIDS donors in Swaziland, sent a three man delegation last week to monitor how money is being used, and also monitor progress on the different funds it supports. Currently, Swaziland has four active funds supported by Global Fund namely HIV and AIDS, TB and Malaria and Health Systems Strengthening. The delegation’s visit came at a time when the Fund is on the verge of signing a new TB grant worth USD $40m (approximately E280m). To date, Global Fund committed a maximum of U$232m (E1.6 billion) to Swaziland, of which US$121 (E847m) was disbursed to the country since 2003. Read more

TB Incident Involving Restaurant Worker Investigated In Cumberland Co.

(Source: NBC17 News, 26 February 2011)
The Cumberland County Health Department is investigating a suspected case of tuberculosis that may have affected a number of individuals. Health Director Buck Wilson said the incident involves an individual employed by a restaurant, though it is not known at which establishment the employee worked. “We are investigating this suspected case of TB by skin testing those individuals who may have been exposed. At this time, notification has been provided to those who are in need of a skin test,” Wilson said. Sally Shutt, communications and strategic initiatives manager for Cumberland County, said the investigation began Feb. 7, and the exposure is likely to have affected a “very small” number of individuals. Read more

Frontline reports podcast: A new TB test brings Hope

(Source: MSF News, 26 February 2011)
In this week's podcast, we hear about the problems associated with diagnosing tuberculosis (TB). The most widely used test for TB hasn’t changed since it was first introduced in the late eighteen hundreds. In addition, the test fails to give accurate results in more than forty to fifty percent of cases. However a long-awaited new test is raising hopes that soon we will be able to identify TB more effectively, get patients on treatment faster, and help reign in this deadly epidemic. Read more

TB increases in 2010 linked to HIV

(Source: Antigua Observer, 26 February 2011)
Between last year and the end of January 2011, 10 people have been treated at Mount St John’s Medical Centre for tuberculosis (TB). This high incidence is linked to the propensity of HIV patients to contract tuberculosis. There were 65 new cases of HIV infections reported for 2010.

According to figures released by the AIDS Secretariat, the number of persons testing positive for HIV increased from 46 in 2009 to 65 in 2010, with the last quarter — October to December — accounting for 13 new cases. A worrying trend for health professionals, however, has been the alarming rate of increase of people who have contracted tuberculosis. Read more

Fighting tuberculosis in prisons is a smart choice

(Source: Citizen News Service, 26 February 2011)
If governments are made to pay compensation to every person who dies of avoidable diseases like TB, one can imagine the financial crisis governments might soon be in. Add to this the cost of TB that spreads due to suboptimal infection control measures particularly in prison settings. From social justice point of view, people who are sentenced to prison terms, are not sentenced to get TB and other diseases and at times death due to these avoidable causes! Fighting TB clearly is a smart choice for governments!

There is no doubt that standard TB treatment and care should be made available to prison inmates who need it. But more important from public health point of view is infection control in congregated settings like those of prison in this case. The media coverage of this news from India doesn’t even mention infection control measures if at all they were in place. Read more

Fight against Tuberculosis

(Source: The Swazi Observer, 26 February 2011)
The country is faced with a number of economic, social and health challenges and setbacks, but there is a glimmer of hope especially in the area of health particularly the situation of tuberculosis in Swaziland. A large number of people who test HIV positive, present with TB and in some cases MDR-TB. Currently the country has nine confirmed cases of extremely drug-resistant TB. The objective of the country and the National TB Control Programme (NTBCP) is to reach the Millennium Development Goal of drastically lowering the amount of people infected with TB by 2015.

Globally, Swaziland is the country where TB is the most prevalent among the people.
Multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) has also been seen more often in patients and this requires aggressive advocacy and communication, as well as social mobilisation nationwide. Read more

Brothers cleared of TB test interference

(Source: Irish Times, 25 February 2011)
Two brothers have been acquitted on a combined total of 100 charges relating to alleged interference with a test for bovine tuberculosis after a judge directed a jury to find them not guilty of the offences. Maurice (49) and Gerard Power (44), Ballyvolane, Ballinadee, Bandon, Co Cork, had pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned on 10 sample charges from the 100 on the indictment at Cork Circuit Criminal Court. Read more

TB, asthma cases increasing in Jayru

(Source: The Tribune, 25 February 2011)
While poor civic conditions and inadequate health services have been the bane of the majority of villages in the district, there are some villages which have virtually become hubs of some life-threatening diseases. Jayru village of Ballabgarh sub-division appears to be one of them with incidences of tuberculosis (TB) showing an increase over the years. According to information, over two dozen of residents here are suffering from TB and respiratory disorders like asthma. The number of such patients had increased dramatically in the past few years. Read more

No excuse for TB spike

(Source: Edmonton Journal, 25 February 2011)
The Vancouver Sun is right, Nunavut's high and rising rates of tuberculosis in the past decade are unconscionable in a country where the disease has almost disappeared in the southern population. Social inequities of income, education and household crowding are powerful cofactors in determining TB rates around the world and must be addressed in the North.

But they are not an excuse to fail to establish and sustain a strong TB control program now. This requires government commitment, practitioners alert to the disease for early diagnosis, well-trained, experienced and well-compensated health-care staff to assure supervised treatment to cure, aggressive contact followup to find new infections and provide prevention, and, most important, engagement of the community as active partners in the effort. Read more

Usaid Releases Sh4.4 Billion for Treatment of TB and Aids

(Source: All Africa News, 25 February 2011)
USAID has released Sh4.4 billion to fund HIV and tuberculosis projects in Nairobi and the Coast region for the next five years. The money will be channelled through the Aids, Population and Health Integrated Assistance Project whose earlier five-year funding ended last year. Under the renewed funding, Aphia will also support family planning, malaria and maternal and child health programmes. Usaid's head of HIV and Aids programmes Karen Klimowski said the new five-year phase, called Aphia-plus, will concentrate on interventions only. "Over the next five years, this programme will engage every sector of the Kenyan society in every province to further improve the quality and accessibility of Kenya's health care services," she said. Read more

Chembio Awarded Phase II NIH Grant for Rapid TB Test

(Source: PR-Inside News, 25 February 2011)
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease, with an estimated 2 billion people currently infected worldwide and several million new cases each year. Current methods of diagnosis are slow, unreliable, and/or impractical in the field settings where the disease burden is the greatest. New diagnostics are urgently needed to address this global health problem by improving control programs.

The prototype test developed during the Phase I work uses the innovative Dual Path Platform (DPP®) technology developed and patented by Chembio, together with selected antigens from a large panel of novel recombinant antigens identified at IDRI, a Seattle-based biotechnology research organization dedicated to technologies that address diseases in the developing world. Read more

Chembio Awarded Phase II NIH Grant for Rapid TB Test

(Source: PR-Inside News, 25 February 2011)
Tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease, with an estimated 2 billion people currently infected worldwide and several million new cases each year. Current methods of diagnosis are slow, unreliable, and/or impractical in the field settings where the disease burden is the greatest. New diagnostics are urgently needed to address this global health problem by improving control programs.

The prototype test developed during the Phase I work uses the innovative Dual Path Platform (DPP®) technology developed and patented by Chembio, together with selected antigens from a large panel of novel recombinant antigens identified at IDRI, a Seattle-based biotechnology research organization dedicated to technologies that address diseases in the developing world. Read more

RI sees lower TB cases

(Source: The Jakarta Post, 25 February 2011)
After 10 years of holding status as the world’s third-largest country with tuberculosis, this year Indonesia dropped to fifth rank, an official says. Health Minister Endang Sedyaningsih said that the rank drop was a Millennium Development Goal achievement. She said that in 2010, the number of people with tuberculosis numbered 300,000, with deaths caused by tuberculosis reaching 61,000, or 169 people per day. “The number is relatively high and we are trying to reduce it through the tuberculosis national program,” she said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. Read more

Govt Praised for ‘Robust Progress’ in Fighting TB

(Source: Jakarta Globe, 25 February 2011)
Several international organizations have hailed the Indonesian government for its success in reducing the number of deaths in the country due to tuberculosis, but say the effort needs to be ramped up. “We are very pleased to [see] the robust progress in tuberculosis control in Indonesia,” Jaap Broekmans, mission leader of the Joint External TB Monitoring Mission (JEMM), said on Thursday. “There will come a time when TB will no longer be considered a fatal disease in this country.” Read more

WHO Says Alcohol an Overlooked Killer, Calls for More Action

(Source: Join Together News, 24 February 2011)
Alcohol is "the world's third largest risk factor for disease and disability," and is responsible for nearly four percent of deaths worldwide -- more than AIDS, violence or tuberculosis -- according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2011. More must be done worldwide to combat alcohol's negative impact on health, WHO said in the press release. Alcohol is a "causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries and a component cause in 200 others," and is "associated with many serious social issues, including violence, child neglect and abuse, and absenteeism in the workplace," according to the report on global alcohol consumption. Read more

Not yet enough facts about CWD to draw conclusions

(Source: Post Bulletin, 24 February 2011)
I would like to start by looking at the epidemiology and facts associated with the discovery of CWD in the Pine Island area. When bovine tuberculosis (TB) was discovered in cattle and wild deer in northwestern Minnesota, one of the first tests performed was DNA, to see what strain of TB they were dealing with. They needed to learn if it came from Riding Mountain National Park, not too far across the border in Manitoba, or maybe from Michigan to the east. Testing of both the deer in the wild and the cattle revealed that both had the southern strain associated with cattle imported from Mexico. Read more

Wild deer strategy launched in Wales

(Source: Farmers Guardian, 24 February 2011)
THE first ever strategy to manage growing numbers of wild deer in Wales has been launched by Assembly Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones. The aim is to minimise damage to farming and forestry and provide a monitor for animal health issues, such as bovine TB. “Most members of the public will only see wild deer when they cross the road in front of your car but they are quite numerous in several parts of Wales,” says the Minister. Read more

285 lakh doses of BCG Lab vaccines wasted after suspension of its licence

(Source: Pharmabiz News, 24 February 2011)
Even as the Union health ministry continues to buy BCG vaccine for treating tuberculosis after suspending the licences of the three public sector vaccine manufacturing units, huge quantities of BCG vaccines went unutilised and gone as waste. At the time of suspension of manufacturing licenses on 15.1.2008, there were 285 lakh doses of BCG vaccine available with BCG Lab, Chennai. As per Indian Pharmacopoeia, the shelf life of BCG vaccine is two years from date of manufacturing. All the batches were manufactured between August, 2006 and December, 2007, according to the information with the health ministry. Read more

Researchers use genomics to investigate TB outbreak

(Source: Eurek Alert News, 24 February 2011)
The study tracked 41 individuals who developed tuberculosis: patient interviews revealed a tightly-knit community where most patients knew one another, while DNA fingerprinting of the bacterial samples from each individual showed them to be identical to each other. These two factors together made reconstructing the outbreak family tree impossible.

In order to get a more detailed picture of how TB spread through the community, researchers from the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre and Simon Fraser University turned to whole genome sequencing to discern subtle genetic differences between different bacterial strains. Read more

Gene sequencing, social networking help stop B.C. tuberculosis outbreak

(Source: The Vancouver Sun, 24 February 2011)
B.C. scientists used DNA gene sequencing and social networking surveys to track a tuberculosis (TB) outbreak that spread when drug addicts got together in crack cocaine houses and other squalid environments like flop hotels, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday.

"When we did this in 2008, nobody in the world had ever used genome sequencing to investigate a bacterial outbreak, but I think it should be applied to everything now because you can learn so quickly how it started and how it's spreading," said lead author Jennifer Gardy, head of the genome research lab at the BCCDC. Although the paper doesn't say so, news reports at the time revealed the two and half year outbreak that started in 2006 affected 41 people in Port Alberni, including an infant and a child. Read more

Nigeria: Putting More People On ARV, Our Priority - Idoko

(Source: All Africa News, 24 February 2011)
The funds will also be used for providing treatment for 110, 000 people and care for Orphaned and Vulnerable children among many other interventions. We have also been able to secure our World Bank credit which you know is the livewire of the State Agency for the Control of AIDS (SACAs) and this year we want the funding to get down to the Local Government Agency for the control of AIDS (LACAs) too with as many communities as we can reach. We need better coordination of our activities in the grassroots so we are working towards improving funding for the LACAs. Because we have received the Round 9 funding, we will also be integrating care for Tuberculosis (TB) and malaria. Our goal therefore is that these ailments are treated along with HIV on our sites. Read more

Dept. of Ag to hold TB meeting

(Source: The Alpena News, 24 February 2011)
The Michigan Department of Agriculture has potential changes planned for the state's zoning rules for bovine tuberculosis, which include designating a bovine TB-free zone for 57 counties in the Lower Peninsula. According to Bridget Patrick, MDA risk communications specialist, the MDA is discussing the new rules during upcoming public meetings across Michigan. A public meeting will take place in Northeast Michigan at 11 a.m. March 4 at the Hillman Community Center.

During the hearing, Dr. James Averill, the MDA's bovine TB eradication program coordinator, will give a presentation of the proposed changes, and the MDA will receive comments from attendees, Averill said. Read more

Alberni TB outbreak linked to crack cocaine use

(Source: BC Local News, 24 February 2011)
Crack cocaine use is linked to the tuberculosis outbreak in Port Alberni, a Simon Fraser news release is reporting. According to the release, researchers at SFU are the first to combine bacterial gene analysis with social networking surveys to track down the origins of a TB outbreak in a B.C. community. Although the name of the community isn’t named other media are reporting that it is Port Alberni. “Thanks to this combination of social-network surveys and genomics, we were able for the first time to link a TB outbreak with an increase in crack cocaine use within a community,” said SFU microbiology professor Fiona Brinkman.

The researchers also identified several infected individuals who they referred to as “super spreaders” – or those who spread the disease to many others. The release is part of broader study findings that are being released in the New England Journal of Medicine on Feb. 24. Read more

Bovine disease program cut in Snyder budget

(Source: Detroit News, 24 February 2011)
The state's fight against bovine tuberculosis faces a 38 percent funding cut under Gov. Rick Snyder's budget plan, despite a four-year high in the number of infected herds. State officials say they can justify the $332,000 cut, despite the recent uptick to four affected herds, because the geographical area in which the cases are found is shrinking. "We are continuing to reduce the area of concern," said Keith Creagh, director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. For that reason, "we don't have to do as much testing."

The chronic bacterial disease affecting cattle is often spread by deer. The four 2010 cases — up from one case in 2009 — were found in Emmet, Alpena and Alcona counties in the northeastern Lower Peninsula. The department is awaiting federal approval of its plan to reduce the number of Michigan counties under surveillance for the disease to those three counties plus eight others. Read more

TB Control Programme to be launched in rural areas

(Source: Daily Times, 23 February 2011)
Health care facilities under the National TB Control Programme would be provided at the 3 rural health centers of Islamabad while other rural health centers are to be upgraded shortly under 1st phase of the programme, said Deputy Commissioner (DC) Islamabad Amer Ali Ahmed on Tuesday. He reviewed the arrangements related to the provision of health care facilities under the National TB Control Programme in rural areas of the federal capital in a meeting chaired by him. The DHO ICT Dr. Amirzada Khan and officials from the National TB Control Programme attended the meeting. Read more

No side effects reported in first phase trials of HIV vaccine

(Source: Press Trust of India, 23 February 2011)
The HIV vaccine being developed in India has undergone the first phase of clinical trials and experts say no side effects have been reported. "The first phase of clinical trials for the HIV vaccine being produced in India has already been accomplished in December 2010. It is being carried out down south with help from international agencies. No side effects have been reported," Dr V M Katoch, DG, Indian Council of Medical Research said.

"We are hopeful about this vaccine as it works on the most commonest strain of virus found in India. There is no haste in carrying out the trials. A similar vaccine produced in Thailand was found to be only 30 per cent effective. We want to make this vaccine being devlopd here effective," he said. He said that a Phase I trial primarily seeks information on safety, particularly looking for any vaccine-related side effects. Read more

Mount St. Joseph's students, staff tested for TB

(Source: WCAX News, 23 February 2011)
The entire staff and student body at a Rutland high school are undergoing tuberculosis testing. One student at Mount St. Joseph Academy was diagnosed with the disease. The student is recovering at home, but as a precaution the state health department is testing all students and employees for TB. Testing is still underway but so far no additional cases. Experts say the bacterial infection is passed through close contact.

"One thing that's different of TB between influenza or colds is it isn't really quickly or easily transmitted. Whenever we see transmission of TB it's when someone had prolonged, extended, repeated contact and it's usually in sort of a confined space," said Susan Schoenfeld of the Vt. Health Department. Read more

Striking at the heart of disease in SA

(Source: Times Live, 23 February 2011)

HIV and Aids, coupled with TB, are the major contributors to the health problems of the province. About 70% of HIV/Aids patients also have TB. "The Department of Health has laid the foundation for a turn-around. The treatment of TB has been intensified, targeting a yearly improvement of 5% in the cure rate," Mkhize said. Plans to combat HIV/Aids and TB are expected to be given to the Provincial Aids Council next month. Read more

Tuberculous meningitis in Denmark: a review of 50 cases

(Source: 7th Space Interactive News, 23 February 2011)
Tuberculous meningitis is the most severe manifestation of extrapulmonary tuberculosis with a high mortality rate and a high rate of sequelae among survivors. The aim of this study is to assess the current epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostic procedures, treatment and outcome in patients with tuberculous meningitis in Denmark, a country with a low tuberculosis incidence.

Methods: A nationwide retrospective study was conducted, comprising all patients notified with tuberculous meningitis (TBM) in Denmark from 2000-2008. Medical records were reviewed using a standardised protocol. Results: Fifty patients, including 12 paediatric patients, were identified. 78% of the patients were immigrants from countriesof high tuberculosis endemicity. Read more

After shutting down PSU labs, govt buys vaccines at double cost

(Source: The Times of India, 23 February 2011)
Shutting down manufacturing of vaccines at the public sector vaccine units is costing the government dear. Take the example of the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis. It used to cost the health ministry Rs 13 per vial in 2007-08 when it was being supplied by the public sector BCG Lab in Chennai. Now with vaccine production in the lab shut, due to "supposed non-adherence" with WHO's good manufacturing practices (GMP) standards, the ministry is purchasing the same vaccine at more than double the cost from the private sector.

Union health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad admitted on Tuesday that the rate at which the vaccine was being purchased from the private sector stood at Rs 27.85 per vial in 2009-10 (Rs 14.85 more) and Rs 28.6 in 2010-11 (Rs 15.60 more). Read more

Missed opportunities in TB diagnosis: a TB Process-Based Performance Review tool to evaluate and improve clinical care

(Source: 7th Space Interactive News, 23 February 2011)
Traditional tuberculosis (TB) treatment outcome measures, such as cure rate, do not provide insight into the underlying reasons for missing clinical targets. We evaluated a TB Process-Based Performance Review (TB-PBPR) tool, developed to identify "missed opportunities"for timely and accurate diagnosis of TB. The tool enables performance assessment at the level of process and quality of care. Read more

Willsbros pleads guilty to TB breaches

(Source: Farmers Guardian, 23 February 2011)
A CORNISH dairy company has pleaded guilty to seven offences under Tuberculosis and Cattle Identification Legislation. Willsbros Ltd, of Pawton Dairy, Wadebridge, which runs the Willsbro Holstein was awarded to pay Cornwall Council full costs of £7,140 and fined the business a total of £7,200. In January 2010 Willsbros Ltd was put under TB2 restrictions following the discovery of an inconclusive reactor on their premises at Pawton Dairy during a pre-movement TB test.

This restriction prevented any unlicensed movements onto or off the premises until a second and negative TB test had been obtained at least 60 days after the initial test. However, Defra vet Cliff Mitchell noticed an article and photo in a local newspaper showing the Willsbros family with show results from the National All-Breeds Show at Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. Read more

CNS Stop-TB News Monitor: 12-18 February 2011

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 351 (12-18 February 2011).
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1- Progress in tuberculosis vaccine research
(Source: Citizen News Service (CNS), India/Thailand)
Collaboration and funding are some of the major requirements for delivering new, more effective and safer vaccines against tuberculosis (TB). This was a much-heard statement during the annual research meeting of the TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI). 'Challenging' would be an understatement when it comes to describing the WHO's latest plan for eliminating tuberculosis. Challenging. But certainly not impossible. Read more...

2- State relents, pays Rs 3 lakh for death in custody
(Source: The Times of India, New Delhi, India)
After dilly-dallying for some time, the state government paid Rs 3 lakh last week as compensation to the wife of a convicted prisoner who died of tuberculosis in Howrah jail in 2007. Initially, the state government had decided not to pay the compensation as recommended by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The state had claimed that there was no fault on its part for the death of Bula Santra as it was not a case of custodial death in the true sense. Read more...

3- A Healthy Crisis at a UN-Backed Health Fund
(Source: AOL News, Ghana)
The UN-backed effort to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is in trouble. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Recently it came to light that the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria reported that at least $34 million in grants -- used to procure drugs and other commodities for the world's poor -- had been stolen, along with some of the commodities themselves. Read more...

4- Russia no longer to provide free treatment for victims of tuberculosis
(Source: Kyiv News, Russia)
Apparently in order to save money, Moscow has decided to end government-paid-for treatment of tuberculosis and venereal diseases, a decision that, given the large number of cases in the Russian Federation, will contribute to that country’s continuing demographic decline. Read more...

5- Publication in Nature Medicine Reveals New Diagnostic Tool to Identify Active Tuberculosis Quickly and Effectively
(Source: PR- Inside News, USA)
A new diagnostic tool allowing quick and reliable identification of patients with active tuberculosis has been developed by a Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) –based research team led by Prof. Giuseppe Pantaleo. Published yesterday in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, this discovery, based on specific profiles of the immune system, will offer clinical benefit to patients and should contribute to the development of effective vaccines against tuberculosis. Read more...
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Watch these dates!
8 March: International Women's Day
24 March: World TB Day
7 April: World Health Day
3 May: World Asthma Day
31 May: World No Tobacco Day
21 June: Pacific Health Summit, Seattle, USA
26-30 October: 42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health, Lille, France
8-11 July: 3rd Asia-Pacific Regional Union Conference on Lung Health, Hong Kong

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), and now managed by the Stop TB Partnership, International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and International HIV/AIDS Alliance, send an email to: join-stop-tb@eforums.healthdev.org

To download or read the Patients' Charter for Tuberculosis Care (PCTC), click here

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

Know more about: Advocacy to Control TB Internationally (ACTION), AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union), TB Alert, TB/HIV Care Association, TuBerculosis Vaccine Initiative (TBVI), World Care Council, [to feature your organisation, send an email to: bobby@citizen-news.org]
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Produced voluntarily by: CNS Stop-TB Initiative, a partner of Stop TB Partnership, Abhinav Bharat Foundation (ABF) and CNS News Monitoring Initiative (CNS-NMI).

Antimicrobial resistance

(Source: World Health Organization, 22 February 2011)
About 440 000 new cases of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) emerge annually, causing at least 150 000 deaths. Extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB) has been reported in 64 countries to date.

Percentage of MDR-TB among new TB cases, 1994–2010
Resistance to earlier generation antimalarial medicines such as chloroquine and sulfadoxine -pyrimethamine is widespread in most malaria-endemic countries. Falciparum malaria parasites resistant to artemisinins are emerging in South-East Asia; infections show delayed clearance after the start of treatment (indicating resistance). Read more

Kentucky moves to prevent spread of cattle diseases

(Source: Farm Press, 22 February 2011)
Staffs of the state veterinarian’s office and the USDA area veterinarian’s office are working cooperatively with market veterinarians and stockyard management to implement the requirement. The state veterinarian’s office acted in advance of federal traceability requirements for interstate movement of livestock that are expected to be published this spring.

About 150,000 breeding cattle 18 months of age and older (also known as “head cattle”) pass through Kentucky stockyards every year. Two beef cattle in a Fleming County herd tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in May 2010, the first cases in Kentucky since 1981. Read more

Iowa's elk on trial

(Source: Telegraph Herald News, 22 February 2011)
Each year, hunting and agriculture bring in more than $10 billion to the state of Iowa. It's a protected and important part of our economy. "Our top concern is for the health of our deer herd and for our domestic livestock," Garner said. "Because once CWD or bovine tuberculosis (TB) is out there, there is no going back."

CWD is a neurological disease affecting cervids, primarily deer and elk. It is caused by an abnormal protein, called a prion, that attacks the brains of infected animals, causing them to lose weight, display abnormal behavior and lose bodily functions. Signs include excessive salivation, thirst and urination, loss of appetite, progressive weight loss, listlessness and drooping ears and head. Read more

Craig David ready for Red Nose desert trek in Kenya

(Source: Daily Echo News, 22 February 2011)
“I’ve been out in South Africa a few times as an ambassador against Tuberculosis, so I’ve experienced those sorts of temperatures before. But on those occasions I’ve just been meeting people that are suffering with TB, not doing anything this physical. But I just couldn’t say no. It is a once in a lifetime experience and you are helping so many people at the same time. “I think people are expecting me to sail across there and carry everyone’s bags for them but that’s not going to happen!” Read more

Aid group engages N. Korea in fight against TB

(Source: The Korea Times, 22 February 2011)
Amid ongoing tensions between the two Koreas, a U.S.-based aid organization is taking major steps in fighting a highly-resistant strain of tuberculosis spreading in the North ― and in doing so is quietly fostering cooperation on the peninsula. Dr. Stephen Linton, founder of the Eugene Bell Foundation, says his group’s program to combat multidrug resistant TB (MDRTB) has cured its first patients after four years of working to establish adequate care in the North.

“We’re making progress,” Linton, 60, said in a phone interview. “It has been a tremendous learning curve for the North Koreans on a very short time frame. It takes most nations decades to put together a good MDRTB program because the treatment is so intensive.” Read more

Health ministry asks BCG Lab to withhold developmental works & address the issue of niacin positivity in seeds strain

(Source: Pharmabiz News, 22 February 2011)
According to experts, BCG vaccine strain is an attenuated bacterium of ‘Mycobacterium bovis’ which produces TB in cattle. After the attenuation, the strain (M bovis) is used for vaccination against Tuberculosis in childhood. The M bovis is niacin positive and it becomes negative after attenuation. If the niacin is negative, it will not produce disease, but it can be used as vaccine strain.

If the information coming out of BCG is true, the unit cannot manufacture BCG vaccine now by using the seeds it keeps as the niacin is positive. According to some reports, one private vaccine manufacturing company near Chennai got the seeds of BCG vaccine from the BCG VL some years ago. If BCG VL cannot produce vaccine from the seeds it has, then the private company also cannot produce the vaccine with the seeds. Read more

NWT tackles tuberculosis epidemic

(Source: Northern News Services, 22 February 2011)
As the North's tuberculosis rates ripple through the national medical community, the GNWT is applauding its public health system for keeping this territory's disease outbreak under control. An editorial published Feb. 14 by the Canadian Medical Association Journal echoed the grim reality health officials have long faced when it comes to fighting the deadly - but completely treatable - airborne disease in Nunavut, where TB rates are 62 times the national average. In 2010 alone, Nunavut reported a peak of 100 new active cases. The authors of the editorial, including editor-in-chief Dr. Paul Hebert, called Nunavut's continual TB outbreaks a national embarrassment. Read more

Publication in Nature Medicine Reveals New Diagnostic Tool to Identify Active Tuberculosis Quickly and Effectively

(Source: PR- Inside News, 22 February 2011)
A new diagnostic tool allowing quick and reliable identification of patients with active tuberculosis has been developed by a Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) –based research team led by Prof. Giuseppe Pantaleo. Published yesterday in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, this discovery, based on specific profiles of the immune system, will offer clinical benefit to patients and should contribute to the development of effective vaccines against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most pressing public health priorities for the 21 st century, with over one third of the world population infected. Active TB disease is a major issue both for the patients who require specific treatment and at a population level, since these patients are contagious. Diagnosis of active TB disease (from latent asymptomatic infection) requires several clinical, radiological, histo-pathological, bacteriological and molecular parameters. Read more

A Healthy Crisis at a UN-Backed Health Fund

(Source: AOL News, 22 February 2011)
The UN-backed effort to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria is in trouble. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Recently it came to light that the Geneva-based Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria reported that at least $34 million in grants -- used to procure drugs and other commodities for the world's poor -- had been stolen, along with some of the commodities themselves.

Last month, Germany joined Sweden in demanding an investigation of the waste and fraud; Germany has suspended financial transfers of more than $250 million until it is completed. In the U.S., the House Appropriations Committee last week proposed cutting $450 million in grants to the fund in its 2011 budget. If the U.S. withholds funding, the fund will probably have to halt many grant payments, leading to major disruptions in the delivery of life-saving medicines to tens of thousands of people. Read more

Russia no longer to provide free treatment for victims of tuberculosis

(Source: Kyiv News, 22 February 2011)
Apparently in order to save money, Moscow has decided to end government-paid-for treatment of tuberculosis and venereal diseases, a decision that, given the large number of cases in the Russian Federation, will contribute to that country’s continuing demographic decline.

In a comment on the “Svobodnaya pressa” portal, Oleg Koen and Aleksandra Koen note that the Russian government has just released a list of diseases for which Russian citizens can receive free treatment. Gone from this year’s list, they point out, are sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. Read more

TB deaths show need for housing solution: CMA head

(Source: CBC News, 22 February 2011)
The head of the Canadian Medical Association said cities need to do a better job providing sustainable housing if they want to lower mortality rates among homeless people with tuberculosis. Last week a study published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases found that 20 per cent of homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of diagnosis.

The problem was identified ten years ago, say the study's Toronto-based authors, but the high mortality rate still hasn't changed. An inquest into the death of Joseph Teigesser, a homeless man who died of tuberculosis in Toronto in 2001, had made 13 formal recommendations, including provincial funding for a centralized clinic system to provide specialized care for people with TB and improvements to shelter ventilation. Read more

State relents, pays Rs 3 lakh for death in custody

(Source: The Times of India, 22 February 2011)
After dilly-dallying for some time, the state government paid Rs 3 lakh last week as compensation to the wife of a convicted prisoner who died of tuberculosis in Howrah jail in 2007. Initially, the state government had decided not to pay the compensation as recommended by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). The state had claimed that there was no fault on its part for the death of Bula Santra as it was not a case of custodial death in the true sense. Read more

WW interviews Stop FBI spokesperson

(Source: Workers World, 21 February 2011)
TB: Nine of the 23 solidarity activists subpoenaed were due to appear on Jan. 25, and I’m happy to say all nine of those declined to appear at that time. There were more than 50 protests on Jan. 25 throughout the U.S. and a handful of places like Dublin, Ireland; Kiev, Ukraine; Canada; and Australia too. Hundreds of groups participated, and thousands of people came out to support the people who are anti-war and international solidarity activists who are being targeted by this government repression. Read more

Dairy firm Wills Bros Ltd fined by court for 'serious' record faults

(Source: This is Cornwall News, 21 February 2011)
The owners of the Westcountry's largest dairy herd have been fined over £7,000 – after a report about a prize-winning cow appeared in a local newspaper when the herd was under a disease movement restriction order. A Defra vet saw the report about an animal from Wills Bros Ltd's 900-cow herd at Pawton Dairy, near Wadebridge, Cornwall, and launched an investigation, which discovered a range of errors in the herd's records.

Wills Bros pleaded guilty to seven offences under the tuberculosis and cattle identification legislation of 2007, which is part of the Animal Health Act. The firm was fined £7,200 and ordered to pay costs of £7,140 at Bodmin Magistrates Court last Thursday. In January 2010 the giant Wills Bros dairy was put under bovine tuberculosis restrictions following the discovery of an inconclusive reactor on their premises at Pawton Dairy during a pre-movement TB test. Read more

Elephant tied to 2009 TB outbreak at sanctuary

(Source: The Tennessean, 21 February 2011)
A tuberculosis outbreak among workers at a Tennessee elephant sanctuary in 2009 is being blamed on one of the pachyderms, even though some of the employees didn't have close contact with the animal. Elephants can carry TB, and there have been reports of their spreading it to people who touch them. In this instance, TB spread to eight employees, though three of them didn't work directly with the elephant, according to a report released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The eight employees tested positive on a skin test and received treatment, but are not sick or hazardous to others, sanctuary officials said in a statement last week. Read more

Effective TB Vaccine

(Source: Asian News International, 21 February 2011)
Researchers have improved the effectiveness of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The work was done by Nele Festjens and Nico Callewaert of VIB and Ghent University. The new vaccine affords - as already proven in mice - better protection against the disease."Our vaccine is more effective because it is more quickly recognized by the immune system of the vaccinated person. We have, as it were, undressed the existing vaccine by removing its protective shield," said Nico Callewaert.

The bacterium from which the BCG vaccine is derived hides as it were from the immune system of the organism in which it ends up. This may well be the reason why the vaccine is not very effective. The fact is that a vaccine is meant to trigger an immune reaction in order to be able to afford good protection. Read more

DOT plus site to be established at medical college

(Source: The Tribune, 21 February 2011)
In order to eradicate tuberculosis from Punjab, the central government would establish DOT (directly observed treatment) plus sites in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala under the Revised National TB Control Programme. In Amritsar, it would be set up at Government Medical College for which the site has already been earmarked, informed District TB Officer, Dr Naresh Chawla.

Dr Chawla said estimate cost to carry out the renovation work in district TB hospital to set up the DOT plus site is pegged at Rs 19 lakh and a project report regarding this has already sent to Central TB division for releasing the funds. The amount is expected to reach the TB centre here within a fortnight, he added. Read more

Britain delays decision on badger cull

(Source: UPI News, 21 February 2011)
A British government department says its decision on whether to order a cull of badgers to combat cattle tuberculosis will be delayed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs had said it would to announce its policy decision around the end of this month, but now says it could come as late as May, raising doubts about whether a cull could be conducted this year at all, the BBC reported Friday.

A source told the BBC that DEFRA did not want to "mess up" again after abandoning its plans to sell some public forests, a proposal it abandoned Thursday in the face of heavy public opposition. Read more

Alarmingly High Death Rate From Tuberculosis In Homeless

(Source: Medical News Today, 21 February 2011)
One in five homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of their diagnosis, according to a study led by St. Michael's Hospital's Dr. Kamran Khan. And that number remains unchanged over the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters.

A provincial coroner's inquest into the death of Joseph Teigesser, a homeless man who died of tuberculosis in Toronto in 2001, made 13 formal recommendations. These included provincial funding for a centralized clinic system to provide specialized care for those with tuberculosis in Ontario and a review and improvement of shelter ventilation systems. However, the work surrounding these two key recommendations has fallen short, the researchers say in the study. Read more

New Diagnostic Tool to Identify Active Tuberculosis Quickly and Effectively

(Source: News Wise, 21 February 2011)
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the most pressing public health priorities for the 21st century, with over one third of the world population infected. Active TB disease is a major issue both for the patients who require specific treatment and at a population level, since these patients are contagious. Diagnosis of active TB disease (from latent asymptomatic infection) requires several clinical, radiological, histo-pathological, bacteriological and molecular parameters.

The new diagnostic tool developed by Pr. G. Pantaleo and Dr. A. Harari allows sensitive and highly specific identification of patients with active TB disease. The study, initially designed to identify parameters of the immune response correlated to protection against TB, led to the observation that functional signatures of immune responses, i.e. the cytokines involved such as TNF-α, IL-2 and IFN-γ, were indeed correlated to the different stages of tuberculosis disease. Read more

Kamala controls tuberculosis

(Source: Deccan Herald, 21 February 2011)
Kamala or Mallotus philippinensis is widely used in the Ayurveda and Unani schools of medicine for the treatment of stomach-related problems and skin diseases. The herb’s main action has been found against tuberculosis and leprosy sores. Some herbal doctors recommend Kamala as an appetiser.

Though no scientific records exist, herbalists argue that Kamala is an aphrodisiac and fights infertility. The fruit is found to possess certain natural chemicals that kill worms in the intestines and free the digestive system of helminth parasites. The leaves of the plant are considered natural coolants. Other medicinal properties of Kamala include relief from constipation, flatulence, spleen enlargement and cough. Read more

Scientists enhance efficacy of TB vaccine

(Source: Asian News International, 21 February 2011)
Researchers have improved the efficacy of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The work was done by Nele Festjens and Nico Callewaert of VIB and Ghent University. The new vaccine affords - as already proven in mice - better protection against the disease. "Our vaccine is more effective because it is more quickly recognized by the immune system of the vaccinated person. We have, as it were, undressed the existing vaccine by removing its protective shield," said Nico Callewaert. Read more

Air pollution is doctor death

(Source: Deccan Chronicle, 19 February 2011)
The inflammation is not restricted to the respiratory system but becomes a systemic problem - the patient loses weight and muscle mass, he becomes breathless and the oxygen levels in his blood reduce,” explains Dr Kisku, pulmonologist at the Frontier Lifeline hospital here.

With Chennai being notorious for tuberculosis infection, doctors add that excessive air pollution puts all of us at risk of contracting the bacterial disease. “Air pollution is indirectly linked to TB - breathing polluted air makes our defence system sluggish and our lungs become weak and vulnerable to any disease that wants to attack - from bronchial asthma and lung cancer to opportunistic infection of HIV,” says Dr D. Ranganathan, HoD of chest medicine at the Madras Medical College here. Read more

IDSA Applauds President's FY 2012 Budget on Infectious Diseases Programs

(Source: ICT News, 19 February 2011)
"Investments proposed for critical infectious diseases programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will help strengthen surveillance and control programs to protect Americans from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, allow states to continue to screen for infections such as HIV and viral hepatitis, and allow more Americans to receive immunizations against many life-threatening diseases.

We are disappointed, however, that the budget proposes a decrease in domestic tuberculosis (TB) funding at a time when multi-drug resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a serious threat. Additionally, while the budget talks about strengthening CDC’s antimicrobial resistance activities, a specific funding amount for the program is not specified. As CDC has said, antimicrobial resistance is one of the world’s most pressing clinical and public health problems; thus, it is essential that funding for this program be significantly increased. Read more

Award for reporting on tuberculosis seeks nominations

(Source: Media for Freedom, 19 February 2011)
The Stop TB and Lilly MDR Partnership are seeking submissions for its 2011 Award for Excellence in Reporting on Tuberculosis. Journalists from low-, middle- and high-income countries (as defined by the World Bank criteria) are invited to enter the competition. The deadline is April 30, 2011. Submissions must have been published between March 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011 in general circulation newspapers, magazines or web news services located in the journalist’s country of residence. Entries may be in Arabic, English, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish and an English translation is optional. The prize for first place is US$3,000, second place is US$2,000 and third place is US$1,000. Articles may be co-authored. Read more

Ministers delay badger cull policy

(Source: The Independent News, 19 February 2011)
The Government is to delay its decision on whether to allow a cull of badgers in England as part of efforts to control TB in cattle. Ministers had hoped to unveil their policy on controlling the disease by the end of this month, but it now appears the measures will not be announced until after the local government elections in May. The Environment Department (Defra) said it was keen to make sure "we get it right" over the controversial policy, following hold-ups to a similar cull planned in Wales as a result of a legal challenge. Read more

No guarantees on badger cull, Paice warns

(Source: Meat Info News, 19 February 2011)
There are no guarantees for a badger cull to tackle bovine TB, government ministers have warned farmers. Both Defra minister Jim Paice and secretary of state Caroline Spelman refused to set a deadline for a decision while speaking at the NFU annual conference in Birmingham this week, with Paice warning there were still some serious hurdles to overcome.

Both Paice and Spelman said the delay in announcing a decision on any badger cull was to ensure all the details were in order to resist any legal challenges. Spelman said: “We have to be really careful on bovine TB. What happened in Wales is a warning: if we get a tiny bit of the process wrong, we’re in hiatus and may have to go back to the drawing board.” Read more

Raising awareness on tuberculosis

(Source: Brunei Online News, 19 February 2011)
As part of AWE continuous commitment to care for the welfare of its employees, an information session on "The Awareness of Tuberculosis (TB)" was held for its employees, delivered by Awang Hj Saharin bin Hj Sawal of the Ministry of Health, Kuala Belait. The talk focussed on the prevention and control of TB as well as emphasised on safety in the workplace. Read more

Inmate with tuberculosis was brought to courthouse

(Source: Examiner News, 19 February 2011)
An inmate with tuberculosis was brought to the Simcoe St. courthouse Thursday but court officials weren't notified he was infected until after he arrived. The man, who can't be identified for privacy reasons, was not brought into a courtroom or any public areas. He was taken from the courthouse to Peterborough Regional Health Centre and it's not known what form of tuberculosis he has.

"We didn't hear about the infection until he got here," Sgt. Tim Millard told The Examiner Thursday. Millard, who is in charge of court services, said precautions were taken as soon they found out. He also said he contacted the Peterborough County-City Health Unit for guidance. Millard said police and special constables, who have the most contact with the inmates, are fitted with special masks for such an event. Read more

New tuberculosis vaccine provides better protection

(Source: The Medical News, 19 February 2011)
Nele Festjens and Nico Callewaert of VIB and Ghent University have improved the efficacy of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The new vaccine affords - as already proven in mice - better protection against the disease. The development of a new tuberculosis vaccine is a priority in the fight against the disease which claims the lives of 1.7 million people each year. The current vaccine provides only partial protection. Read more

Fighting tuberculosis in the North

(Source: The Vancouver Sun News, 19 February 2011)
Of all the health threats facing Canadians, tuberculosis is not high on the list. Although the disease kills an estimated two million people a year worldwide, it isn't a big problem in Canada.

Perhaps we should rephrase that: Tuberculosis isn't a big problem in most of Canada. But as an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal details, its incidence has reached epidemic levels in the North, and in particular, in Nunavut. Indeed, while the number of new active cases in Canada has been steadily dropping, and is now fewer than five per 100,000 people, Nunavut has seen a dramatic increase in its incidence rate, which last year stood at more than 300 cases per 100,000 people. Read more

Badger cull decision delayed

(Source: The Guardian News, 19 February 2011)
A controversial government decision on whether to allow badger culling in England to curb tuberculosis in cattle has been delayed, it emerged on Friday. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had been expected to announce its policy on the matter around the end of February, but it could now come as late as May.

Proposals to license farmers to kill badgers could mean up to 6,000 badgers are shot this year, but the plans have previously been dismissed as "scientifically among the worst options [the government] could have chosen" by the leading UK's leading badger ecologist. Read more

100 years later, Lung Association of Saskatchewan improves lung health one breath at a time

(Source: Leader Post News, 19 February 2011)
Each time the clock struck the hour during the day, another Canadian had died from the "White Plague." During the night, the tuberculosis epidemic claimed the lives of two Canadians hourly. That was 1911. One hundred years later, deaths due to tuberculosis have fallen to less than one per week in Canada, said Dr. Brian Graham, president and CEO of the Lung Association of Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan has about 90 cases of tuberculosis yearly — about 90 per cent are First Nations and Metis people, he said.

"Tuberculosis is spread by breathing the same indoor air as someone else who has an infectious case of tuberculosis," Graham said. "It's spread by airborne germs. When the SARS epidemic came, it was the TB people who were consulted on this because that was the same way that SARS spread." Read more

Toronto Homeless TB Patients Die Within A Year of Diagnosis

(Source: Asian News International, 19 February 2011)
A new study in Toronto has found that one in five homeless people with tuberculosis die within a year of their diagnosis. And that number remains unchanged over the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters. The 10-year study, led by St. Michael's Hospital's Kamran Khan, also found a growing proportion of tuberculosis cases in Toronto's homeless shelters are in immigrants, raising the risk that dangerous drug resistant strains of tuberculosis could enter the shelter system. The study found nearly 40 per cent of all tuberculosis cases in the homeless were in immigrants. Read more

Study: TB in homeless alarmingly high

(Source: UPI News, 19 February 2011)
Twenty percent of homeless people with tuberculosis die within one year of their diagnosis, researchers in Canada found. Dr. Kamran Khan of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto says the TB rate in homeless people remains unchanged over the last decade despite recommendations calling for greater improvements in prevention and control of tuberculosis in homeless shelters.

In 2001, a provincial coroner's inquest into the death of a homeless man who died of tuberculosis in Toronto made 13 formal recommendations that included provincial funding for a centralized clinic system to provide specialized care for those with tuberculosis in Ontario and improvement of homeless shelter ventilation systems. Read more

Willsbros farmers fined for moving TB-restricted cattle

(Source: BBC News, 19 February 2011)
A farm in Cornwall has been fined for moving cattle while under tuberculosis (TB) restrictions. Willsbros Ltd, of Pawton Dairy, Wadebridge, was put under restrictions in January last year. However a vet spotted a local newspaper photograph of the Willsbros family at a national cattle show in Warwickshire. Willsbros pleaded guilty to seven offences under tuberculosis and cattle identification legislation at Bodmin Magistrates' Court. The company was fined £7,200 and ordered to pay costs of £7,140. Read more

Badger cull ruling put back until May

(Source: Farmers Weekly, 18 February 2011)
Farm minister Jim Paice had earmarked February for a decision on whether to use culling as a method to control bovine tuberculosis. Timing of the announcement was crucial, if any cull was to go ahead, because the government would need to begin killing badgers in the late spring as soon as the breeding season was over. The tight time window for culling - between spring and autumn - meant that a delay of three months could put back a cull until spring 2012. Industry insiders have suggested that an announcement in May suited the government for a number of reasons. Read more

Gates Foundation to improve child vaccines in China

(Source: Reuters News, 18 February 2011)
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is helping partners in China improve child vaccines, roll out faster TB detection kits and make higher-yielding rice which it hopes can be used later in other parts of the world. Ray Yip, the foundation's chief representative in China, said they were especially interested in vaccines against rotavirus, which causes diarrhea in young children, and pneumococcal disease, which causes pneumonia. Read more

Efficacy Of Tuberculosis Vaccine Enhanced By VIB Scientists

(Source: Medical News Today, 18 February 2011)
Nele Festjens and Nico Callewaert of VIB and Ghent University have improved the efficacy of the vaccine for tuberculosis. The new vaccine affords - as already proven in mice - better protection against the disease. The development of a new tuberculosis vaccine is a priority in the fight against the disease which claims the lives of 1.7 million people each year. The current vaccine provides only partial protection. Read more

Brunswick County settles inmate's tuberculosis lawsuit

(Source: Star News, 18 February 2011)
A lawsuit brought by an Brunswick County jail inmate who spent nine months in a cell block near an inmate with tuberculosis has been settled. Floyd Baldwin, from Lumberton, will be paid $2,250, according to a settlement document. The total is split among the defendants in the suit, including contracted health provider Southern Health Partners, the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, the county commissioners and the county's insurance company.

The lawsuit was filed this summer. It claims that officials did not test inmate Omar Morales for TB when he was admitted in October 2008 and then ignored his symptoms of the disease which began in December 2008 – leading to an outbreak. Read more

Badger cull 'would kill 70%' of badgers in bovine TB hotspots, farmers told

(Source: Cornwall News, 18 February 2011)
As many as 70 per cent of badgers, sick or not, will be slaughtered in bovine TB hotspots if a cull goes ahead, farmers have been told. Farming Minister Jim Paice, speaking to 150 farmers at the National Farmers' Union Conference in Birmingham yesterday, said he was personally committed to a cull, but no decision had yet been taken.

Government proposals were for a focused and highly organised cull and he said he still believes that it should be part of a package of measures in the campaign to eradicate the disease, which last year led to the slaughter of 40,000 cattle. Read more

Badger cull decision faces delay

(Source: BBC News, 18 February 2011)
The UK government's decision on whether to allow badger culling to curb cattle TB in England is to be delayed. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) had planned to announce its completed policy around the end of this month. But BBC News understands it could come as late as May - raising doubts over whether a cull could begin this year.

Defra has come under heavy fire recently over its plans - now cancelled - to dispose of state-owned forests. The latest government figures suggest that numbers of cows infected with tuberculosis are falling in England and Wales, which campaigners say makes the case for culling more difficult. Read more

Sharp fall in herds with TB

(Source: The Stuff News, 18 February 2011)
A partnership between the Animal Health Board, farmers and the Marlborough District Council has cut the number of Marlborough deer and cattle herds infected by bovine tuberculosis from a peak of 52 to two. Board policy manager Nick Hancox said a 15-year bovine TB strategy to kick off in July this year took the programme to the next step, of putting the pressure on possums which carried the disease. The board has a 15-year plan to eliminate TB-infected possums from 2.5 million hectares of a 10-million-hectare target area nationwide, including part of Marlborough, said Mr Hancox. Read more

TB Case Reported at North Park Preschool

(Source: San Diego News, 18 February 2011)
Students at Edison Elementary Preschool in North Park will be tested next week after someone at the preschool was recently diagnosed with tuberculosis. Students and staff may have been exposed to the disease from Jan. 24 to Feb. 9, 2011 according to the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency (HHSA). County staffers will be at the school Feb. 28 to test for early signs of infection. "Once diagnosed, TB can be treated and cured with medication," said Wilma Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County Public Health Officer in a news release.

Symptoms of active TB include persistent cough, fever, night sweats and unexplained weight loss. Those who need more information may call the County TB Control Program at (619) 692-8621. Read more

Epidemiology of Anti-tuberculosis Drug Resistance in a Chinese Population: Current Situation and Challenges Ahead

(Source: 7th Space Interactive, 18 February 2011)
Drug resistance has been a cause of concern for tuberculosis (TB) control in both developed and developing countries. Careful monitoring of the patterns and trends of drug resistance should remain a priority.

Methods: Strains were collected from 1824 diagnosed sputum smear positive pulmonary TB patients in Jiangsu province of China and then tested for drug susceptibility against rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and streptomycin. Read more

Officials worry over Sask. TB rate

(Source: CBC News, 18 February 2011)
A medical health officer says tuberculosis is still a serious problem in Saskatchewan with 60 new infections diagnosed in northern Saskatchewan last year. The Canadian Medical Association Journal this week called for urgent federal action to address TB rates, especially in Nunavut. Nunvavut has a TB rate more than 60 times the national average. And the CMA says Canadian doctors have been expressing alarm about TB rates in the north for 100 years. Read more

Potential case of TB found at George Washington University

(Source: Vaccine News Daily, 18 February 2011)
Health officials in the Washington, D.C., are looking into a potential case of tuberculosis at George Washington University. The officials are attempting to reach all close contacts of the suspected case so they can be screened for the disease themselves, according to the Washington Post. Washington, D.C., sees around 50 cases of tuberculosis every year and believes that there is no need for the larger George Washington community to take any specific medical actions or precautions at this time, the Washington Post reports. Read more

Alarming TB death rate among Toronto homeless

(Source: Toronto Sun, 18 February 2011)
The death rate from tuberculosis in homeless people in Toronto is “alarmingly high”, an infectious disease expert warns. A 10-year study looking into the homeless in Toronto found that one in five homeless people with tuberculosis died within a year of their diagnosis. “Homeless people diagnosed with tuberculosis in Toronto have an alarmingly high mortality rate of 20%. That’s three to four times higher than someone would expect to see in the normal population,” said lead author Dr. Kamran Khan, an infectious disease physician and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital. Read more

Elephant behind TB outbreak at Tennessee sanctuary

(Source: Reuters News, 18 February 2011)
Liz, an African elephant housed at a sanctuary for the animals, was the source of tuberculosis infections among eight workers at the refuge, an author of a report on the 2009 outbreak said on Thursday. None of the infected employees at the Hohenwald, Tennessee, sanctuary for old, often abused, elephants, became ill. The workers were given preventive therapy, and 54-year-old Liz is in quarantine and undergoing treatment. Read more

CDRI to be leading institute in developing anti-malaria drug

(Source: The Times of India, 18 February 2011)
OSDD gives an opportunity to people from all over the world to work for a common goal. It was started to eradicate tuberculosis and the next phase is planned for malaria in which CDRI plans to take an initiative. CDRI will be the leading institute in drug discovery for curing malaria under the platform of CSIR in the 12th five year plan.

OSDD is a CSIR team India consortium with global partnership with a vision to provide affordable healthcare to developing world by providing a global platform, where best minds can collaborate and collectively work to solve complex problems associated with discovering novel therapies for neglected tropical diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, leshmaniasis, etc. Read more