This is the April 2011 edition of Stop TB News, which is distributed by email by the Stop TB Partnership.

TOP LINE NEWS

African health ministers take Washington by storm
The health ministers of Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland joined the Stop TB Partnership in Washington DC to spur policy makers to ramp up their support for the fight against TB.

US health leaders open 20th Stop TB Partnership Coordinating Board meeting
US health leaders, including Dr Rajiv Shah, Administrator of the US Agency for International Development, expressed strong support for the partnership and called for “targets that will motivate us for the future”.

Swaziland declares TB a national emergency
The Prime Minister of Swaziland, Sibusiso Dlamini, has declared TB a national emergency. Swaziland has one of the highest rates of TB infection in the world.

Text messaging, mobile labs and cavaliers on the agenda as TB REACH grantees assess early impact
Wave one grantees meet in Geneva to report on progress and share what they have learnt since projects began in late 2010.

Twenty-two organizations to receive Challenge Facility grants
The Stop TB Partnership Challenge Facility for Civil Society has approved grants for organizations across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

Figo and other football heroes highlight the MDGs in a comic book
Stop TB Ambassador Luis Figo appears with other football stars in an educational comic book targeted at eight to 12 year olds.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu scores a goal against TB
Tutu joins up with the Kick TB campaign for an event at a primary school in South Africa featuring music, football and dancing.

WORLD TB DAY NEWS

Partners call for increased commitment to tackle MDR-TB
The World Health Organization, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Stop TB Partnership called on world leaders to step up their commitment to diagnosing and treating multidrug-resistant TB.

Joint World TB Day report targets the 3 million people not getting proper treatment
A report by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the Stop TB Partnership, shows how community volunteers are providing access to treatment for some of the world’s most vulnerable people.

Global health leaders discuss new approach to TB vaccine funding
European politicians, TB advocates and health advisers gathered in Paris to discuss an innovative financing model that would enable scientific discoveries to be translated into TB vaccines.

From the beaches of Dubai to the streets of Nepal: World TB Day events spread the message around the world
Photographs on the beach in Dubai, workshops in Somalia, new ambassadors in India and mass aerobic exercises in Indonesia. Read about all the events on the World TB Day blog or view the photos on flickr.

TB PEOPLE

Musician Obour named as national TB ambassador for Ghana
Hip-life musician Obour will be visiting districts around the country with a campaign called ‘Singing our way out of tuberculosis’.

Boxing champ and tennis star sign up to stop TB in India
The Indian Development Foundation (IDF) has secured the support of tennis star Leander Paes and world boxing champion Mary Kom.

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

TB workers on two-wheels bring faster diagnosis to Lesotho
Riders for Health, one of Stop TB’s newest partners, is using motorcycles to speed up diagnosis and help TB officers deliver DOTS treatment in Lesotho.

One-stop TB labs to bring faster, more cost-effective diagnosis to Malawi
Mobile containers with the latest diagnostic equipment will be delivered to high-risk areas thanks to Dutch funding and CheckTB!

European journalists tour TB facilities in South Africa and Swaziland
Journalists gained an insight into township clinics and regional hospitals on the Lilly MDR-TB Partnership’s media tour.

Global Fund partnership forum seeks input to 2012-2016 strategy
The Global Fund has launched a number of online and face-to-face consultations designed to inform the fund’s next strategy.

Impact measurement taskforce sees global momentum on surveys, releases new handbook
Taskforce reports global progress and publishes second edition of Tuberculosis prevalence surveys: a handbook.

The Union’s TREAT TB initiative moves into implementation mode
Projects will build research skills in South Africa, investigate new diagnostic tools and trial a shortened treatment regimen for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis.

AWARDS AND GRANTS

Canada pledges further support for TB care in Afghanistan
A new grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) aims to tackle TB in women.

Winners of the 2011 Award for Nursing Excellence announced
The fifteen winners of the Lily/International Council of Nurses award for nursing excellence in TB/MDR-TB were announced on World TB Day.

Desmond Tutu calls on South Africans to get tested as TB health workers recognized in Cape Town
Archbishop Tutu issues rallying call ahead of ceremony to honour Cape Town health workers for their efforts tackling TB and AIDS.

Operation Asha wins spirit of humanity award
Operation Asha won a certificate of excellence at Americare India’s Spirit of Humanity awards for their work providing TB treatment in India.

Panos wins grant to fight TB through public engagement in Uganda
Panos Eastern Africa has won a grant from the Welcome Trust to implement a project designed to increase the visibility of TB research in Uganda.

BioVision announces the winners of the 2011 BioVision -Lilly Award
The 2011 Award recognized four young scientists, living and working in developing countries, for their track record of research on TB.

PUBLICATIONS

New market dynamics needed for second-line TB drugs
Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease have released a report with a detailed overview of the market.

BCG Atlas provides information on vaccination in more than 180 countries
A team of researchers from McGill University, Canada, has launched an atlas which provides free information on current and past TB vaccination practices.

More funding for TB research and development needed, new report says
The Treatment Action Group and the Stop TB Partnership have released a new edition of a report on funding trends for (TB) research and development.

Advocacy Partnership publishes toolkit for advocacy on TB and MDR-TB
Toolkit explains how to design and deliver advocacy campaigns to support TB programmes.

TB prevention toolkit provides detailed practical advice for health care workers
Toolkit provides guidance to help leaders and clinicians implement, monitor, and continuously improve TB prevention and control measures.

TB infection control toolkit focuses on promoting a team approach
International Council of Nurses toolkit follows a series infection control workshops that the ICN has run over the last four years.

RECENT EVENTS

Scientific symposium discusses childhood TB for World TB Day
The Koch-Metchnikov-Forum organized the fifth World TB Day scientific symposium, On the move against childhood tuberculosis.

Aeras and NIH host symposium on novel areas of TB vaccine research
More than 90 researchers from around the world gathered at the National Institutes of Health for the first-of-its-kind event.

Workshop targets increased supply of TB drugs from South East Asia
Manufacturers meet in Jakarta to find out more about the WHO prequalification programme and how to access technical assistance.

UPCOMING EVENTS