New Board of Directors elected in Cancún
President of The Union Dr S Bertel Squire of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (UK) and the other members of the bureau were re-elected for a new term at the meeting of The Union Board of Directors in Cancún, Mexico on 6-7 December 2009. Several new members were also elected. New members representing the regions are Dr Jesus Felipe Gonzalez Roldan of Mexico (Latin America); Prof Mohamed Awad Tag Eldin of Egypt (Middle East); Dr Masae Kawamura of the USA (North America) and Prof CH Muhammad Nawaz of Pakistan (South-East Asia). New members representing the Scientific Sections are Prof Digambar Behera of India (Tuberculosis); Dr Reuben Granich of Switzerland (HIV) and Prof Hamdy El Sayed of Egypt (Tobacco). For a complete list of new and continuing Board Members, read more.

Poverty and lung health theme explored at World Conference in Cancún

The theme of poverty and lung health was addressed from numerous perspectives throughout the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cancún, Mexico on 3-7 December 2009. More than 2,000 delegates attended the first conference to be held in Latin America since 1982.

Dr Abdo Yasbeck, a health economist for the World Bank, gave the special lecture on “Addressing inequality in the health sector” at the Opening Ceremony on Friday, 4 December 2009. Dr S Bertel Squire of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and President of The Union also spoke at the Opening Ceremony on “Health solutions for the poor”. Other plenary speakers were Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of WHO’s Stop TB Department on “MDR-/XDR-TB and poverty”; Dr Douglas Bettcher, Director of WHO’s Tobacco-Free Initiative on “Tobacco and poverty”; and a panel of speakers who introduced the Year of the Lung campaign. In addition, the scientific programme included 120+ post-graduate courses, workshops, symposia, meet-the-experts and poster-related sessions.

Experience the 40th Union World Conference through slide shows and videos here.

2009 Union Awards presented in Cancún
Prof Digambar Behera, an Indian chest physician who helped persuade his colleagues to support the guidelines of India’s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme in the 1990s, and Dr Rod Escombe, a young researcher who has studied the impact of natural ventilation on TB transmission, received the 2009 Union Awards at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cancún, Mexico.

Prof Behera (India) received the Karel Styblo Award for Public Health, which acknowledges a health worker (physician or lay person) or a community organisation for contributions to tuberculosis control or non-tuberculous lung disease over a period of 10 years. Dr Rod Escombe (United Kingdom) was awarded the Union Scientific Prize, which acknowledges a researcher under 45 years of age for work on tuberculosis or non-tuberculous disease published in the past five years.

In addition, Dr Philip Christy Hopewell (USA) received the Princess Chichibu Global TB Memorial Award from the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association; and Ms Lucy Chesire (Kenya) and Prof Stewart Cole (Switzerland) were awarded the Stop TB Kochon Prizes for 2009 at the conference opening ceremony. Read more. . .

41st Union World Conference on Lung Health:
11-15 November 2010, Berlin, Germany

The final deadline for online submission of sessions (symposia, workshops and post-graduate courses) for the 2010 Union World Conference was 15 December 2009.
Close to 200 proposals addressing the theme of “Tuberculosis, HIV and lung health: from research and innovations to solutions” were submitted. Those who submitted will be notified on the status of their proposals by the end of January 2010.

2010 Year of the Lung launched at the World Conference
The Year of the Lung was launched on Sunday, 6 December, at the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cancún, Mexico. The campaign, organised by the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), seeks to raise awareness that hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer each year from treatable and preventable respiratory diseases. This initiative acknowledges that lung health has long been neglected in public discourse and seeks to unify different health advocates behind the goal of lung health.

FIRS has more than 400 member organisations worldwide. Members of the Year of the Lung steering committee signed a declaration at the launch and have planned activities such as World Spirometry Day on 14 October 2010. Dr Nils E Billo, Executive Director of The Union, is the current chair of FIRS.

• Read the declaration on The Year of the Lung website
• Read Prof John F Murray’s editorial in the IJTLD.
  
  

FIDELIS featured in Canadian Medical Association Journal
“The idea of having small projects of short duration, based on results, is becoming popular”, Dr I.D. Rusen, Director of The Union’s Department of Tuberculosis, told delegates attending the recent Canadian Conference on International Health in Ottawa, Ontario. He outlined The Union’s experience with FIDELIS, the Fund for Innovative DOTS Expansion Through Local Initiatives to Stop TB, which supported 51 short-term "proof of concept" projects between 2003 and 2008 with grants from the Canadian International Development Agency.

A summary of his speech appears in the Canadian Medical Association Journal this month, click here.

IHC Programme in Myanmar receives $US 4 million from Yadana Consortium
In 2005, when The Union and Myanmar’s Ministry of Health agreed to launch a pilot project offering integrated TB-HIV care through the public health services, the Yadana Consortium operated by Total E&P Myanmar committed to provide financial support to the project for an initial period of five years (2005-2009) and offered $200,000 in annual funding to provide antiretroviral therapy for 150 patients. The Consortium has since increased its grant several times to support the development of the programme. Read more . . .

Advancing towards a smokefree world, country by country, city by city
Since 2005, governments representing 86% of the world’s population have ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the global public health treaty. Yet, according to the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic 2009 released on 9 December, nearly five years later less than 10% of the world’s population is covered by any one of the six WHO MPOWER measures to reduce tobacco use. The report summarises progress made in implementing the second measure of MPOWER: Protect people from tobacco smoke.

Key findings show that while most people are not protected from second-hand smoke, an additional 2.3% of the world’s population – 154 million people – were covered by new smoke-free laws in 2008. Of the 100 biggest cities in the world, 22 are now smoke-free. However, overall, compliance is low. Only 2% of people worldwide live in countries where smoke-free laws are fully implemented.

At The Union, the strategy is to advance towards a smoke-free world, country by country, city by city. As a partner in the $365-million Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use since 2007, The Union’s Department of Tobacco Control has seen significant successes in countries as diverse as China, Mexico and Turkey using this approach. Read more. . .

JOIN now – or renew your membership for 2010!

“One of the unique features of The Union is the fact that it remains a membership organisation – one that is vitally supported by its constituent, organisational and individual members. Along with the Institute, these pillars of The Union continue to give our organisation its international reach, guard its independence and sustain its deep understanding of local issues through roots that reach communities throughout the world.”

International Course on the Epidemiology and Control of Tuberculosis
San Salvador, El Salvador
15-23 March 2010
Application deadline: 31 January 2010
Language: Spanish
For more information, please click here or e-mail technical-courses@theunion.org.

International Management Course for National Tuberculosis Programmes
Cotonou, Benin
3-8 May 2010
Application deadline: 28 February 2010
Language: French
For more information, please click here or e-mail technical-courses@theunion.org

Management, Finance and Logistics
Bangkok, Thailand
15-27 February 2010
Application deadline: 5 January 2010
Language: English
For more information, please go to www.union-imdp.org or e-mail imdp@theunion.org.

Influencing, Networking and Collaboration
Singapore
5-10 April 2010
Application deadline: 1 March 2010
Language: English
For more information, please go to www.union-imdp.org or e-mail imdp@theunion.org.

Mass Media and Communications
Singapore
4-8 May 2010
Application deadline: 15 March 2010
Language: English
For more information, please go to www.union-imdp.org or e-mail imdp@theunion.org.

14th Conference of The Union North America Region
“Under One Sun: Looking Ahead, Working Together, Moving Forward”
11-13 March 2010
Rosen Plaza Hotel
Orlando,Florida (USA)
Official language: English
Website: http://www.bc.lung.ca/lungdiseases/tuberculosis_iuatld.html
Registration deadline: 4 March 2010

Gulf Thoracic 2010
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
17-20 March 2010
Beach Rotano Hotel
Sponsors: Saudi Thoracic Society, Emirates Allergy & Respiratory Society in collaboration with the American College of Chest Physicians
Official language: Engish
Early registration deadline: 15 January 2010
Abstract submission deadline: 15 February 2010
Website: www.gulfthoracic.com

2010 ATS International Conference
New Orleans, Louisiana (USA)
14-19 May 2010
Attendee registration and housing information will be posted on the website in mid-January.
For more information, please visit the conference website.

Year of the Lung editorial by Prof John F Murray

You can get ready for the new year by reading “2010: Year of the Lung”, an editorial by Prof John F Murray that leads off Volume 14. Prof Murray, a professor emeritus from the University of California San Francisco and long-time Union member, will also serve as editor of a “Year of the Lung” series of articles in the IJTLD throughout the year.
The editorial is available at no charge. Please click here.

Record 1.
TI: The 4th I: scaling up implementation of collaborative TB-HIV activities to protect vulnerable mothers and infants [Editorial]
AU: Gie, Robert P.; Beyers, Nulda
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 2.
TI: The critical challenge in tuberculosis programmes: are we thinking critically? [Editorial]
AU: Seita, Akihiro
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 3.
TI: Expanding HIV surveillance to include TB patients in resource-limited settings with a generalized epidemic [Unresolved issues]
AU: Padayatchi, N.; Stiefvater, E.; Naidoo, K.; Ndungu, T.; Abdool Karim, Q.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 4.
TI: Tuberculosis and the human immunodeficiency virus in the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease in 2008 [Year in review 2008]
AU: Ayles, H.M.; Godfrey-Faussett, P.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 5.
TI: Infectiousness, reproductive fitness and evolution of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis [State of the art]
AU: Borrell, S.; Gagneux, S.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 6.
TI: Fine needle aspiration biopsy: an undervalued diagnostic modality in paediatric mycobacterial disease [Review article]
AU: Wright, C.A.; Warren, R.M.; Marais, B.J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 7.
TI: Comparison of community-acquired pneumonia due to methicillin-resistant and methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus producing the Panton-Valentine leukocidin [Review article]
AU: Vardakas, K.Z.; Matthaiou, D.K.; Falagas, M.E.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 8.
TI: Model collaboration between hospitals and public health system to improve tuberculosis control in China
AU: Wang, L.; Cheng, S.; Xu, M.; Huang, F.; Xu, W.; Li, R.; Chin, D.P.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 9.
TI: Public awareness of tuberculosis in China: a national survey of 69253 subjects
AU: Lu, S-H.; Tian, B-C.; Kang, X-P.; Zhang, W.; Meng, X-P.; Zhang, J-B.; Lo, S.K.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 10.
TI: Pulmonary tuberculosis, impaired lung function, disability and quality of life in a high-burden setting
AU: Maguire, G.P.; Anstey, N.M.; Ardian, M.; Waramori, G.; Tjitra, E.; Kenangalem, E.; Handojo, T.; Kelly, P.M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 11.
TI: Contact screening and chemoprophylaxis in Indias Revised Tuberculosis Control Programme: a situational analysis
AU: Banu Rekha, V.V.; Jagarajamma, K.; Wares, F.; Chandrasekaran, V.; Swaminathan, S.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 12.
TI: High risk of tuberculous infection in North Sulawesi Province of Indonesia
AU: Bachtiar, A.; Miko, T.Y.; Machmud, R.; Besral,; Mehta, F.; Chadha, V.K.; Yudarini, P.; Loprang, F.; Fahmi, S.; Jitendra, R.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 13.
TI: Prevalence of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1 infection in hospitalized patients with tuberculosis
AU: de Lourdes Bastos, M.; Osterbauer, B.; Mesquita, D.L.; Carrera, C.A.; Albuquerque, M.J.; Silva, L.; Pereira, D.N.; Riley, L.; Carvalho, E.M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 14.
TI: Community vs. facility-based directly observed treatment for tuberculosis in Tanzanias Kilimanjaro Region
AU: van den Boogaard, J.; Lyimo, R.; Irongo, C.F.; Boeree, M.J.; Schaalma, H.; Aarnoutse, R.E.; Kibiki, G.S.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 15.
TI: Smoking and risk of death due to pulmonary tuberculosis: a case-control comparison in 103 population centers in China AU: Jiang, J.; Liu, B.; Nasca, P.C.; Zeng, X.; Chen, J.; Zou, X.; Wu, Y.; Han, W.; Zhao, P.; Li, J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 16.
TI: Human tuberculosis due to Mycobacterium bovis and M. caprae in Spain, 20042007
AU: Rodriguez, E.; Sanchez, L.P.; Perez, S.; Herrera, L.; Jimenez, M.S.; Samper, S.; Iglesias, M.J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 17.
TI: Evaluation of the nitrate reductase assay for rapid detection of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis
AU: Rosales, S.; Pineda-Garcia, L.; Andino, N.; Almendarez, N.; Membreno, H.; Hoffner, S.E.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 18.
TI: The pneumonia severity index and the CRB-65 in cancer patients with community-acquired pneumonia
AU: Aliberti, S.; Brock, G.N.; Peyrani, P.; Blasi, F.; Ramirez, J.A.; Community-Acquired Pneumonia Organization
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 19.
TI: Prevalence of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis among prisoners in Malawi: a national survey [Short communication]
AU: Banda, H.T.; Gausi, F.; Harries, A.D.; Salaniponi, F.M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 20.
TI: Serious adverse reactions in a tuberculosis programme setting in Kyrgyzstan [Notes from the field]
AU: Hinderaker, S.G.; Ysykeeva, J.; Veen, J.; Enarson, D.A.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 21.
TI: Tuberculosis-related deaths without treatment [Short communication]
AU: Chiang, C-Y.; Lee, J-J.; Yu, M-C.; Bai, K-J.; Lin, T-P.; Luh, K-T.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 22.
TI: Pulmonary tuberculosis in adolescents: radiographic features [Short communication] AU: SantAnna, C.; March, M.F.; Barreto, M.; Pereira, S.; Schmidt, C.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 23.
TI: DOTS strategy and community participation: an experience in the Ecuadorian Andes [Short communication]
AU: Romero-Sandoval, N.; Flores-Carrera, O.; Molina, M.A.; Jacome, M.; Navarro, A.; Martin, M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 24.
TI: Comparison of two concentrations of NALC-NaOH for decontamination of sputum for mycobacterial culture [Technical note]
AU: Peres, R.L.; Maciel, E.L.; Morais, C.G.; Ribeiro, F.C.K.; Vinhas, S.A.; Pinheiro, C.; Dietze, R.; Johnson, J.L.; Eisenach, K.; Palaci, M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 25.
TI: TB contact screening: which way to go? [Correspondence]
AU: Marais, B.J.; Schaaf, H.S.; Gie, R.P.; Donald, P.R.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 26.
TI: In reply to TB contact screening: which way to go [Correspondence]
AU: Jung, Young Ju; Shim, Tae Sun
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 27.
TI: MDR-TB in children: need for clear guidelines [Correspondence]
AU: Mohapatra, Prasanta R.; Khurana, Alkesh K.; Janmeja, Ashok K.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 28.
TI: Errata
AU:
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 29.
TI: Raul Diaz Valdes, 19382009 [Obituary]
AU: Rouillon, Annik
URL: Click here to access the article