Welcome to the Working Group on New TB Drugs Blog
Watch Video from the World TB Day Congressional Briefing
A briefing and update on tuberculosis (TB), a disease that is curable but still takes the lives of 4,000 people each day and is the number one killer of people living with HIV. Links to video included.
World TB Day! Overview of Events, News and Messages
Saturday, March 24, is officially World TB Day but there has been a stream of activities, publications, news and messages to let the world not forget about this major infectious disease killer that claims millions of lives each year. We present links and summaries of events, publications, messages, and news coverage leading up to World TB Day.
TB R&D Weekly Update: Totally Drug-Resistant TB
Over the past couple of weeks there have been much discussion and reporting on totally drug-resistant tuberculosis (TDR-TB) based on reports of new cases in India. Here are links to coverage of TDR-TB in India, excerpt from a response by Dr. Nardell who we interviewed last year, and link to the WHO Fact Sheet on TDR-TB. Additional links to TB R&D News are included.
Press Release! WHO Warns of Consequences of Underfunding TB
The World Health Organization (WHO) reports for the first time that the number of people falling ill with tuberculosis (TB) each year is declining. New data, published today in the WHO 2011 Global Tuberculosis Control Report, also show that the number of people dying from the disease fell to its lowest level in a decade.
WHO Alarmed by Rising Rates of Drug-Resistant TB in Europe
Yesterday, BBC News published an article on the WHO Plan entitled “Consolidated action plan to prevent and combat multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the WHO European Region 2011–2015.” The plan outlines the problem as well as a solution that could save 120,000 lives if successful.
Posted in Action, Announcements, TB Pediatrics, Video, Voices from the Fight to Stop Tuberculosis
Call to Action on Childhood TB
The Stop TB Partnership has issued a Call to Action on Childhood TB. The call was an outcome of an international meeting organized jointly by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the Stop TB Partnership’s Childhood TB Subgroup in March. There was strong consensus among participants on the urgent need to make the voice of children heard through concerted advocacy efforts. Links are provided to information on the Call to Action and to a page where you can sign the Call to Action on Childhood TB. There are also links to previous coverage by the WGND on topics related to Childhood TB.
Posted in Events, TB Stigma, TB Treatment, Voices from the Fight to Stop Tuberculosis
World TB Day: A Patient’s Perspective
The following is an e-mail circulated on the Stop TB Advocacy Network from a TB patient named Pervaiz Tufail. It is a powerful message from the patient’s perspective.
Financial Times Video Interviews on Combating TB
For World TB Day, the Financial Times’ Andrew Jack interviewed various members of the TB community to get their take on a range of topics. Interviewees are Paul Stoffels, head of R&D at Johnson & Johnson; Lucy Cheshire, a Kenyan campaigner; Paul Sommerfeld, chairman of TB Alert; Al Story, the clinical lead of a UK charity.
Hans Rosling Details the Lack of TB News Coverage
Compared to the widespread news coverage during the swine flu outbreak, TB receives little coverage, especially when you calculate the ratio of news hits to mortality. During a 13 day period in April and May of 2009, the WHO confirmed 31 deaths from swine flu. In that same period, the WHO shows approximately 60,000 deaths from tuberculosis. Prof. Hans Rosling tracked news coverage of each disease using Google news search and found that swine flu was being hyped to a tremendous degree relative to the mortality figures while TB was practically being ignored.
Dr. Lee Reichman responds to TB and Haiti crisis
Last week, a story in the NY Times explored the emerging threat of drug-resistant TB spreading in the aftermath of the tragic earthquake in Haiti. On Sunday, Feb 14, the NY Times published in a letter to editor from Dr. Lee Reichman, MD, MPH (Professor and Executive Director, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School Global Tuberculosis Institute) [...]
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Toppix TB News- Calif. Man Is Criminally Charged to Force Compliance with Tuberculosis Treatment Plan 18 May 2012
- Indian Hospital patients share stories to help heal 17 May 2012
- West Springfield women honored for working with immigrants to prevent tuberculosis 15 May 2012
- MSF says additional resources needed to improve ART access in Burma 11 May 2012
- World disease fund gets added $1.6 bln shot in arm 9 May 2012
