Kenya’s TB campaign proves a success

Posted: January 10th, 2012 in Miscellaneous

A series of public-health campaigns, including more aggressive screening, have been credited with a drop in tuberculosis cases in Kenya. The screening and treatment programme, regarded as one of the best in the developing world, is credited with taking the rate of TB infections in the East African country from a high of 116,000 in 2006 to 106,000 last year. However, this significant turnaround comes at an economic and political price. For TB screening and treatment programmes to be effective, supply chains for drugs and equipment and proper training for staff and administrative back-up must be in place. Al Jazeera's Peter Greste reports from Nairobi.  

“Electronic nose” shows promise for sniffing out TB

Posted: January 5th, 2012 in Miscellaneous

Scientists at New Delhi's International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGB) are developing a technology that will detect tuberculosis (TB) through a hand-held device called an "electronic nose". The scientists believe that the device can diagnose TB early through biomarkers in the breath and thus can save many lives, since an early diagnosis is critical to its effective treatment.    

Global Health Advocates India: Not a Toy Story

Posted: November 14th, 2011 in Allies

November 14 is celebrated as Children's Day in India. Global Health Advocates India, on this day in 2011, released this documentary as part of a drive to raise awareness of the dangerous spread of TB among children. Set in North India, the film features parents of child patients and eminent TB specialist doctors, among others, discussing the scourge that is paediatric TB.

Africa: Rota-virus vaccine to be rolled out

Posted: October 10th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

The global vaccines alliance is rolling out a programme to fund rotavirus vaccine campaigns in 13 African countries to help prevent severe diarrhoea in children. Video by: VOXAFRICA

Children And TB: Exposing a Hidden Epidemic (Webinar)

Posted: September 28th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

In this webinar, ACTION Research Associate Mandy Slutsker reviews ACTION's new brief and provide in-depth analysis of the latest research concerning TB's effect on children. You can also see the audio and powerpoint from the presentation as well.

World TB Day 2011 - TB Elimination: Together We Can

Posted: August 25th, 2011 in TB Champs

In this Global Health Lecture Series, Dr. Reves is joined by two guest speakers providing personal perspectives on tuberculosis: Jigna Rao, originally from Mumbai and co-founder of the South Asian Total Health Initiative in New Jersey Mary White, a Denver nursing student with volunteer experience in South Africa

Treating Tuberculosis in Colombia

Posted: August 22nd, 2011 in Allies

Treatment of MDR-TB costs $20,000 per patient, the high cost of treatment is denying Buenventura's sick access to healthcare. Miguel has TB and lives in Buneventura, however he received treatment too late and is resistant to first line drugs. He has to take six drugs a day. Since the end of 2010 MSF has been providing technical assistance to the National TB Program to improve diagnosis and follow-up of DR-TB patients.

GAVI’s Use of Innovative Financing

Posted: August 22nd, 2011 in Allies

GAVI uses innovative financing to raise funds and provide life-saving vaccines such as the International Finance Facility for Immunisation and Advanced Market Commitment for pneumococcal vaccines.

New Treatment Potential Found in Popular TB Drug

Posted: August 22nd, 2011 in Miscellaneous

Scientists say new insights into a common tuberculosis drug will make it possible to shorten the treatment period for patients infected with TB. The drug "pyrazinamide" is widely used in combination with other drugs to treat active tuberculosis infections. Now, doctors are learning more about how it works - and calling the new information a "breakthrough."

TB/HIV Activist Lucy Chesire @ NYC AIDS March, June 8, 2011

Posted: June 9th, 2011 in TB Champs

Kenyan nutritionist Lucy Chesire calls on UN delegates to the High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS to keep their promises and stop tuberculosis from killing people living with HIV/AIDS.

We Beat TB: Take 180 to Be #1 OK

Posted: April 26th, 2011 in Allies

The South Africa TB Program, funded by the United States Agency for International Development/South Africa and managed by a team led by University Research Co., LLC (http://www.urc-chs.com), developed this video for South Africa's national 2010 Kick TB Campaign. The animated video conveys a campaign message which encourages TB patients to take their medication daily and complete treatment.

David Rochkind: Tuberculosis in the 21st Century

Posted: April 18th, 2011 in Confs & Mtgs

David Rochkind, photojournalist and Pulitzer Center grantee, features his photos and personal stories from people in South Africa, India and Moldova with TB.

Eliminating Tuberculosis

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Allies

Video created by the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control in the european parlament as a basis for the discussions on eliminating tuberculosis in the EU.

Share in my Solitude: Living with drug-resistant TB

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Allies

In this photofilm, Happiness Dlamini talks about her experiences of living with the treatment for drug-resistant TB. Happiness, who has a four-year old daughter and an eleven-year old son, lives in the Shiselweni Region of Swaziland. In 2003 she discovered that she was HIV positive and last year she found out she also was infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis. She's undergoing an arduous two year treatment course which requires her to take 15 pills each day as well as having a painful daily injection for the first six months of her treatment.  

Drug-resistant TB treatment: A Slow & Painful Process

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Allies

Photographer and MSF field worker Misha Friedman visited MSF's tuberculosis project in Nukus, western Uzbekistan, where he met patients with heartbreaking stories: a 19-year-old man whose year and a half of difficult treatment for multi drug-resistance TB (MDR-TB) did not work; a 16-year-old boy who has recovered but feels the stigma of having had TB; a young woman weighing 50 pounds, holding on to hope that her treatment will be effective. We urgently need to solve the immediate problems of supply and high prices of the drugs available now for MDR-TB, especially since a new test has been developed that will allow us to diagnose patients more easily. Another urgent need is for better drugs that will treat the disease more quickly and with fewer burdens - including horrific side effects - on patients.  

Tuberculosis, a community approach

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Allies

Khayelitsha is one of the biggest townships in South Africa; it has a population of about half a million and is located about 30 or 40 kilometres outside of Cape Town. It has one of the highest rates of TB (tuberculosis) and HIV in the country. Here MSF has established a decentralised model of care, which is based around the patient and aims at improving outcomes through diagnosing more people and starting them on treatment earlier. This is enabled by the model where patients are able to get treatment from their local clinics with a better treatment regiment, better diagnostic technics and more support for the patient.

Dr. Anneke C. Hesseling - World TB Day

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Allies

March 24, marked World Tuberculosis (TB) Day - a day to raise awareness of the dangerous spread of TB worldwide, particularly among children and families living with HIV. Dr. Anneke Hesseling - Director of the Pediatric TB Research Program at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre in South Africa, and a recipient of the Elizabeth Glaser International Leadership Award (ILA) for research - visited the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation's D.C. offices to discuss the promising results of her work focused on children with both TB and HIV, two intertwined issues.  

Tuberculosis Cases Remain High Among Immigrants In New York City

Posted: April 14th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

In the United States Tuberculosis, or TB, is often considered a disease of the Past. Nevertheless, a third of the world's population is infected with it. As Ignacio Torres Reports, the disease is still a affecting immigrants in New York City.

ACTION Breakdown: Episode 1

Posted: March 24th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

The ACTION Breakdown is where we bring you the latest advocacy issues in a short, digestible video format that sets you up to take action. In our first breakdown, Paul Jensen, ACTION's Global Research Coordinator, discusses TB in the United States - and what you can do to help eliminate it.

Fighting TB In Bangladesh

Posted: March 23rd, 2011

A look at how one rural community in Bangladesh is winning the fight against Tuberculosis.

Tragic Bearing : Tuberculosis at Siem Reap

Posted: February 22nd, 2011 in Miscellaneous

Although Siem Reap is the second biggest city in Cambodia, the heath care system is not enough to treat poor Tuberculosis patients. First of all, poor health comes at a high price in Cambodia. On average, Cambodians spend $33 per person each year to treat sickness, compared with government health expenditure of just $2 per person. Also, TB patients' families are too poor to employ a person tending the sick so that some family members who have weak immune system like children under 5 years are easy to get TB when they look after their family, TB patients. According to WHO`s estimating, the overall tuberculosis prevalence in Cambodia is extremely high. With 703 cases per 100.000 population per year, it is the highest in Asia (after East Timor) and the 7th highest in the world.

Working Group on New TB Drugs: Dr. Anneke Hesseling Pt 3

Posted: January 31st, 2011

Dr. Anneke Hesseling is the Director of the Paediatric TB Research Program at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. She has South African and US training in Medicine and Epidemiology and is the PI and co-PI on several large research projects relates to the epidemiology, transmission and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, with special emphasis on the interaction between pediatric TB and HIV and the immunologic diagnosis of TB infection and disease. Dr. Hesseling has a special research interest in the epidemiologic and immunologic interaction between BCG and HIV in children and is the chairperson of the IUATLD BCG Working Group.

Working Group on New TB Drugs: Dr. Anneke Hesseling Pt 2

Posted: January 31st, 2011 in Allies

Dr. Anneke Hesseling is the Director of the Paediatric TB Research Program at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. She has South African and US training in Medicine and Epidemiology and is the PI and co-PI on several large research projects relates to the epidemiology, transmission and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, with special emphasis on the interaction between pediatric TB and HIV and the immunologic diagnosis of TB infection and disease. Dr. Hesseling has a special research interest in the epidemiologic and immunologic interaction between BCG and HIV in children and is the chairperson of the IUATLD BCG Working Group.

Working Group on New TB Drugs: Dr. Anneke Hesseling Pt 1

Posted: January 6th, 2011 in Allies

Dr. Anneke Hesseling is the Director of the Paediatric TB Research Program at the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa. She has South African and US training in Medicine and Epidemiology and is the PI and co-PI on several large research projects relates to the epidemiology, transmission and diagnosis of tuberculosis in children, with special emphasis on the interaction between pediatric TB and HIV and the immunologic diagnosis of TB infection and disease. Dr. Hesseling has a special research interest in the epidemiologic and immunologic interaction between BCG and HIV in children and is the chairperson of the IUATLD BCG Working Group.

Dr. Josie Clark-Curtiss: Tackling Tuberculosis

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

Dr. Josie Clark-Curtiss discusses Biodesign research endeavors to help combat TB.

Payam Nahid: US Congressional Briefing on Tuberculosis

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Confs & Mtgs

Dr. Eric Pelfrene: Regulatory Guidance on TB Drugs

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Confs & Mtgs

Dr. Eric Pelfrene, European Medicines Agency, offers an update on European regulatory guidance for testing new agents for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Sarah Fortune: Fighting TB @ Pop Tech 2010

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Confs & Mtgs

Why is tuberculosis so resistant to treatment? Sarah Fortune studies the bacterium that causes tuberculosis as well as how it responds to various eradication efforts, with a view to more effectively fighting this increasingly common global scourge.

Learning to prevent tuberculosis in Peru

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Miscellaneous

The project talks about the people liberteña the possibility of using new technologies such as mobile phones to spread their problems surrounding TB and to generate greater awareness and sensitivity among the citizenry. With this project, the Foundation seeks Anesvad part of the Peruvian population empowered to achieve and communicate the need for social transformation. Speech Project is a social communication initiative based on espresso training workshops and recordings with mobile phones. The result of the project is a series of 7 videos and two TV spots made by Ubiq for Anesvad and Pool Foundation CME, Peru and Bangladesh during the months of August, September and October 2010.  

Swaziland : Dual HIV and tuberculosis epidemic demands urgent action

Posted: January 4th, 2011 in Allies

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launches a report on the fight against a dual epidemic of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV that is devastating the southern African kingdom of Swaziland, cutting people's life expectancy from 60 years to just 31. The small kingdom of just over a million people is at the epicentre of a co-epidemic affecting the whole of southern Africa. In its report,"Fighting a dual epidemic: Treating TB and HIV in rural Swaziland", the international medical organisation draws upon its experience since 2007 in the Shiselweni region to define the urgent practical action that must be taken in response to this major health emergency.  

Tuberculosis in Burkina Faso

Posted: December 16th, 2010 in Allies

Bill Clinton on World TB Day

Posted: December 16th, 2010 in TB Champs

India’s War On AIDS

Posted: December 14th, 2010 in Allies

Breakfast With India

Posted: December 14th, 2010 in Allies

India's largest network of People Living with HIV, INP +, calls for availability of Xpert MTB/RIF Diagnostic tool for the PLHA community on eve of World AIDS Day, 2010. This tool accurately and reliably tests for TB within 90 minutes among PLHA; TB is the leading cause of death among People Living with HIV(PLHA) in India. International NGO Global Health Advocates India - ACTION Project, medical experts, join the call for availability of tests like Xpert MTB/RIF, that use molecular testing ,close to the PLHA community, for speedy diagnostics and treatment.  

Diabetes & Tuberculosis’ Exclusive interview Dr. Anil Kapur

Posted: December 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

'Diabetes & Tuberculosis' Exclusive interview Dr. Anil Kapur, The president of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) on World Diabetes Day 2010

Berlin2010 Dr.Dean

Posted: December 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

CNS interview Dr.Dean Schraufnagel, Prof. of Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine

Berlin2010: Gerry Elsdon #Part 1

Posted: December 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

CNS interview: Gerry Elsdon, National TB Ambassador Republic of Sound Africa and Global TB Advocate: International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) during the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), and during the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, Berlin, Germany (11-15 November 2010).

Berlin2010: Gerry Elsdon #Part 2

Posted: December 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

Gerry Elsdon, TV broadcaster from South Africa, during the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), during the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, Berlin, Germany (11-15 November 2010).

Berlin2010: Peg Willingham - Aeras

Posted: December 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

CNS interview: Peg Willingham, Senior Director External Affairs at the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation at the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health, 11-15 November 2010 Berlin, Germany

TB CAP 5 Years of Global Experience

Posted: December 10th, 2010 in Allies

Peter Gondrie and Maarten van Cleeff introduce the highlights of TB CAP, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded project to reduce the global burden of Tuberculosis.

Joyce on the Global Fund

Posted: October 1st, 2010 in TB Champs

"Here I Am" ambassador Joyce Kamwana talks about her HIV diagnosis and how antiretroviral medicine provided by the Global Fund saved her life.

Annie Lennox | TED Talk

Posted: September 22nd, 2010 in Miscellaneous

For the last eight years, pop singer Annie Lennox has devoted the majority of her time to her SING campaign, raising awareness and money to combat HIV/AIDS. She shares the experiences that have inspired her, from working with Nelson Mandela to meeting a little African girl in a desperate situation.

Millennium Development Goals 2010

Posted: September 21st, 2010 in Miscellaneous

This September world leaders will convene in New York for a high-level summit to advance the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs offer a way to tackle the biggest problems facing the world today -- these include global poverty, women's and children's health, hunger, and education. Everyone has a stake in advancing the MDGs by advocating for a world, free from extreme poverty and preventable disease. By coming together in partnership, we can make this happen.

The Motherland Tour - A Journey of African Women

Posted: September 21st, 2010 in Allies

A short film about the launch of a documentary featuring South African superstar Yvonne Chaka Chaka. "The Motherland Tour - A Journey of African Women" highlights the progress and challenges in the fight against global diseases and features inspiring stories from women across Africa.

Yvonne Chaka Chaka on BBC World News TV

Posted: September 21st, 2010 in Allies

Check out this interview with Yvonne Chaka Chaka in support of the Replenishment

No child born with HIV by 2015

Posted: September 20th, 2010 in Allies

ONE's latest video highlights something amazing: We now know how to stop the HIV virus from passing from a mother to her child -- and we can prevent any baby from being born with HIV. But we need President Obama's full support. Please add your name. It won't happen without our help.

Interview With Joyce Kamwana

Posted: September 15th, 2010 in Allies

Whispers From Children's Hearts Foundation along with the Global Fund present an interview with Joyce Kamwana who is an Ambassador for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, & Malaria.

The Current State of TB in French Guyana

Posted: September 15th, 2010 in Allies

Taking a look at TB/HIV co-infection & TB migration in French Guyana

Science Speaks With Miriam Banda & Michael Gwaba Pt. 1

Posted: September 10th, 2010 in Miscellaneous

While in Lusaka, Zambia with their congressional study tour, "Science Speaks" blog had a chance to speak with Miriam Banda, and Michael Gwaba, about issues of concern related to the treatment financing gap, their input into agreements being negotiated between the U.S. and Zambia, and the urgency of Zambia's pending application to the Global Fund for treatment funding. Miriam is a member of the Community of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWA), and Michael is a member of the Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (CITAM+). 

Science Speaks With Miriam Banda & Michael Gwaba Pt. 2

Posted: September 10th, 2010 in Miscellaneous

While in Lusaka, Zambia with their congressional study tour, "Science Speaks" blog had a chance to speak with Miriam Banda, and Michael Gwaba, about issues of concern related to the treatment financing gap, their input into agreements being negotiated between the U.S. and Zambia, and the urgency of Zambia's pending application to the Global Fund for treatment funding. Miriam is a member of the Community of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWA), and Michael is a member of the Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (CITAM+). 

Science Speaks With Miriam Banda & Michael Gwaba Pt. 3

Posted: September 10th, 2010 in Miscellaneous

While in Lusaka, Zambia with their congressional study tour, "Science Speaks" blog had a chance to speak with Miriam Banda, and Michael Gwaba, about issues of concern related to the treatment financing gap, their input into agreements being negotiated between the U.S. and Zambia, and the urgency of Zambia's pending application to the Global Fund for treatment funding. Miriam is a member of the Community of Zambian Women Living with HIV/AIDS (COZWA), and Michael is a member of the Community Initiative for TB, HIV/AIDS & Malaria (CITAM+). 

The Social Impact of TB (Bangladesh)

Posted: September 7th, 2010 in Miscellaneous

Khulsama has TB. Her family has disowned her and forced her to beg on the streets of Chittagong, in Bangladesh. Despite being totally preventable and curable, nine million people develop TB every year and two million people die from it - mostly in the developing world. Thanks to Archana,Samiya,Jyoti and Ganga from the Asian Womens University for making this video of Khulsama, who begged them to tell her story.

Dr. Phiri Pt. 1

Posted: September 3rd, 2010 in Allies

Executive Director of the Lighthouse Trust, Dr. Phiri discusses the importance of the Global Fund and its impact on the work he does in his native Malawi.    

Dr. Phiri Pt. 2

Posted: September 3rd, 2010 in Allies

Executive Director of the Lighthouse Trust, Dr. Phiri discusses the importance of the Global Fund and why now is the time to focus on Global Fund replenishment to successfully reach the millennium development goals by 2015.    

Christiaan Van Vuuren: The Fully Sick Rapper

Posted: September 2nd, 2010 in Miscellaneous

Luckily or unluckily for Christiaan Van Vuuren, aka The Fully Sick Rapper, he was correctly diagnosed with MDR-TB. He has spent the last four months in quarantine. He's been passing the time making rap videos about being "fully sick" and stuck in quarantine, and its been making quit the impact. He's been the focus of TV reports in Australia and he's even been on Al-Jazeera. In Australia about a thousand new cases of TB are found and treated each year.

Dr. Jayant Banavaliker

Posted: September 2nd, 2010 in TB Champs

During World TB Day, India This Week (a news program that airs on Indian station NDTV) ran a feature with Dr. Jayant Banavaliker national expert on TB & respiratory diseases. He discussed the fight against TB in India and the work that INP+ along with ACTION is doing to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.

Gerry Elsdon

Posted: August 27th, 2010 in TB Champs

Gerry Elsdon speaks about what got her started in her advocacy, some of the best moments she's had as an advocate, some of the challenges she's faced along the way and what still must be done to make treating TB a global priority.

TB Among Us: Developing Countries (Albertina Nyatsi)

Posted: August 2nd, 2010 in Miscellaneous

TB is the third leading cause of death among women of reproductive age in low-income countries and worldwide. This is just one woman's story.

TB Among Us: USA (Rachel Orduño)

Posted: August 2nd, 2010 in Miscellaneous

Lack of awareness of tuberculosis leads to delayed diagnosis. This is just one woman's story

ACT UP-Paris at International AIDS Conference in Vienna

Posted: August 2nd, 2010 in Allies

Video of Act Up-Paris challenging French AIDS Ambassador "Patrice Debre" to triple the contribution of France to the Global Fund at the 2010 International AIDS Conference in Vienna (Austria).

Brown Bag Lunch With Gerry Elsdon Pt. 1

Posted: July 27th, 2010 in Allies

International star and TB advocate Gerry Elsdon sits down with the ACTION staff to discuss her personal battle with TB and the use of her celebrity to give a voice to others suffering with this disease.

Brown Bag Lunch With Gerry Elsdon Pt. 2

Posted: July 27th, 2010 in Allies

International star and TB advocate Gerry Elsdon sits down with the ACTION staff to discuss her personal battle with TB and the use of her celebrity to give a voice to others suffering with this disease.

Tackling TB in HIV Patients

Posted: July 23rd, 2010 in Miscellaneous

In just ten years the HIV/Aids infection rate in South Africa has jumped from one per cent of the population to one-third.Seventy per cent of HIV patients are also infected with tuberculosis, which is now the biggest cause of natural death in in the country.But doctors say better treatment and education could wipe out the completely cureable infection altogether.Al Jazeera's Rosie Garthwaite reports from Khayelitsha township.

Aid Without Impact - Panel Discussion Pt. 1

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

Aid Without Impact - Panel Discussion Pt. 2

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

Aid Without Impact - Panel Discussion Pt. 3

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Confs & Mtgs

The Lazarus Effect

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Allies

TB + HIV: A Dual Epidemic

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in TB Champs

Action Commercial

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Miscellaneous

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy and the Born HIV Free campaign

Posted: July 13th, 2010 in Allies