At the request of the National Tuberculosis Program of China, Dr. Chiang Chen-Yuan, Head of The Union’s Lung Health Department, recently provided on-site technical assistance related to multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) activities. Specifically, Dr. Chiang was asked to provide on-site support and education regarding adverse reactions related to MDR-TB treatment. The mission was geared to clinicians managing MDR-TB and was seen to be an important contribution to ongoing MDR-TB activities. As global efforts proceed to increase access to MDR-TB treatment, demands for such technical assistance to country programmes will also increase. The Union is well positioned to meet these demands.

For more information on MDR-TB, please click here.

The measurement of the CD4-lymphocyte count is an integral part of good management of people living with HIV (PLHIV). The count reflects the immune status of the individual. It is a vital part of the decision-making process about when to start PLHIV on antiretroviral therapy and is used to monitor the response to therapy.
Currently, measurement of the CD4 count requires a capital outlay for sophisticated and expensive machinery, and there are high recurrent costs for reagents and maintenance. In resource-limited settings and, particularly in rural areas, it is very difficult to obtain reliable CD4 counts. Decisions about antiretroviral therapy are thus often made on clinical judgement alone.

About 3 years ago, Imperial College in London was awarded a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a point of care and simple to use CD4 test. There were basic requirements that the test should cost no more than USD$2, be independent of machines, be robust, not dependent on refrigeration and in effect be like a rapid HIV test. Several companies started out on the road to develop such a test, but with set milestones to be achieved by certain deadlines a number have fallen off the track.

The Union is involved in so far as Professor Anthony Harries, Senior Advisor, sits on the Steering Committee which advises the project Management Group about strategic directions and other matters. The project is now at a stage where three companies [Beckman Coulter, Burnet and Zyomyx] have a prototype that will be ready for validation and field testing in 2009. The tests are all point-of care, they require no machinery, they will cost under USD$2 per test, they are similar in principle to rapid HIV tests and take on average about 25 minutes from collecting a blood sample to having a result.

This is an exciting development. The development of such a test will revolutionise the management of PLHIV and assist in helping many more patients to access antiretroviral therapy at an earlier stage than is currently the case. For more information, including details of the 3 prototypes presented at the recent CD4 Initiative Open Day in Geneva on 24 November, 2008, please visit the website at www.imperial.ac.uk/medicine/cd4.

The Union worked with the Egypt Coalition of NGOs to assist the Head of the Health Committee in Parliament on TC policies in Egypt. The work was discussed during a meeting with the Head of the Committee on 7 January. The discussion included suggestions from the civil society point of view on steps which need to be taken at senior governmental level.
This meeting was led by the coordinator of the coalition as part of his work to assist and support the ministries in assessing and strengthening tobacco control policies in Egypt.
Importantly for The Union, the coordinator made specific reference to the work of The Union, and asked for further assistance. Specifically, statistics were provided by The Union concerning the burden of tobacco use on the Egyptian economy.
Egypt is keen to work on improving its Smoke free policies as is seeking the opinions of civil society. The National Coalition of Tobacco Control in Egypt is working in partnership to support the government of Egypt as it works to achieve its goals.
For more information on tobacco control, please click here.

A one day training of enforcement officers was held on 27 December 2008 in Ranchi, India.

The training was attended by more than 60 participants representing various departments including Police, Health Department, Food & Drugs, Labour Department, military hospitals, people from schools, colleges and public and private sector companies.
Inaugurated by Dr. Jitendra Kumar Director in Chief, Department of Health and Family Welfare, the training was also attended by Dr. Pradeep Kumar, Health Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand.
Dr. Rana J. Singh (The Union) and Dr. Mira Aghi (Advocacy Forum for Tobacco Control) made presentations on Tobacco burden, Health effects of Smoking and Second Hand Smoke and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (COTPA) with emphasis on 2 October 2008 notification (date of the official implementation of the smoking ban in public areas).
The Health Secretary, assured his department’s full cooperation in the implementation of the Tobacco Control Programme in not only making the city of Ranchi “Smoke Free” but also the whole state of Jharkhand.

The International Management Development Programme (IMDP) is set to begin another dynamic year in management training specifically designed for officials working in public health. All of the following 2009 courses are now open for registration. Participants are encouraged to apply soon as space is limited.

Management, Finance, and Logistics – 2 – 14 February
Increase your health programme’s efficacy by further developing your own managerial capacity. In this course, participants learn the basics of running a national programme in public health with emphasis placed on building financial comprehension, communicating effectively, multi-party negotiation, and developing fundamental budgeting skills.

Leading Management Teams – 13 – 25 July
Master strategic management and leadership skills and put them to work within your health programme. A delicate blend of organisation, staff monitoring, and communication amongst all partners is necessary when dealing with diverse teams of people. By learning how to strategically manage groups of people, participants will be able to better direct and influence any group of personnel in or outside of an organisation.

Budget Planning and Project Management – 1 – 12 September
Improve your health programme’s cash flow by learning the essentials of budget management. This course provides participants with advanced training in budget development processes specific to health organisations, while learning to conduct accurate and clear financial reporting, as well as techniques on how to monitor funds throughout the duration of a project.

Human Resources Development and Management – 2 – 14 November
Create a work environment within your organisation that motivates personnel to higher levels of achievement. This course introduces participants to various human resources strategies and methods that can increase productivity by boosting morale, create a more cohesive work environment, and demonstrate how a system of rewards can motivate personnel to higher results.

Mass Media and Communications – 15 – 19 December
Communicate your health programme’s successes and results more effectively. Participants discover how to map the media landscape and how to fully utilise all it has to offer in order to ensure optimal results for a programme. Participants will receive training on how to write a professional press release, develop useful promotional tools, conduct media outreach, and how to build positive public awareness around an organisation’s work.

To learn more about the International Management Development Programme, or to register for courses, please visit www.union-imdp.org or visit “Courses” on The Union’s website.

14-28 February 2009: International Course on the Management of Childhood Lung Disease Arusha, Tanzania / English

23-31 March 2009: International Course on the Epidemiology and Control of Tuberculosis San Salvador, El Salvador / Spanish

15-26 June 2009: Applied Mycobacteriology for Tuberculosis Control Cotonou, Benin / French

6-10 July 2009: International Course on Clinical Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic / Spanish

31 August-18 September 2009: International Tuberculosis Course Cotonou, Benin / French

31 August-18 September 2009: International Tuberculosis Course Hanoi, Vietnam / English

21-25 September 2009: International Course on Clinical Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis Manila, The Philippines / English

9-27 November 2009: International Tuberculosis Course Arusha, Tanzania / English

For more information on Union courses or to know how to register to courses, please go to www.theunion.org.

5th Conference of The Union Europe Region
Final reminder: you are expected to submit your abstracts by 26 January 2009 for presentation to the above mentioned conference to take place on 27-30 May 2009 in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
The deadline for early registration is 15 February 2009. As of 15 May 2009, only on-site registrations will be accepted.
For more information, please go to www.depol.org/iuatld2009

13th Conference of The Union North America Region
The Union North America Region is about to open its next conference in Vancouver, Canada, on 26-28 February 2009. For more information on this forthcoming conference, please visit its official website: www.bc.lung.ca/lungdiseases/tuberculosis_iuatld.html.

17th Conference of The Union Africa Region
Be ready for the launching of the website dedicated to the conference of The Africa Region that will be hosted in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on 24-26 June 2009. The website will be available in mid-February 2009.

2nd Conference of The Union Asia-Pacific Region
Please mark your calendar for this major event that Beijing is preparing to host on 9-12 September 2009. This year's theme is “Prevention and Control of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis”.

40th Union World Conference on Lung Health

3-7 December 2009, Cancún, Mexico
The Union is happy to announce that the call for online abstract submission for free communication sessions (poster display and poster discussion sessions, thematic slide presentations) will be sent out in late January.
Please submit and modify your abstract by 15 March 2009. The website dedicated to this event will open in February at www.worldlunghealth.org.

“Becoming a Union Member is being instrumental to support efforts and continue launching new resources and programmes in the global fight against tuberculosis and lung disease” Scott Mc Donald, Executive Director of the British Columbia Lung Association.

Now is the time to join or renew your Union membership. Continue your support to The Union's 89-year tradition of public health activism as we work toward global targets to stop TB. The 20-euro individual Union membership for low-income countries is the popular option. It includes an online-only subscription to the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, as well as all other member benefits.

In 2009, the membership with the print and electronic versions of the Journal is at the special rate of 450 Euros for 2 years (1 year is 240 Euros). Benefactor membership starts at 500 Euros per year; benefactors are acknowledged in the activity report and invited to the President’s cocktail during the world conference.

Visit http://membership.worldlunghealth.org to see a description of the membership categories, benefits and fees. Clicking on « Membership online » will take you to the new, interactive membership form for renewals and new memberships. If you already are a member, to ensure that you receive the best service from The Union, please use your existing membership number. If you have forgotten your membership number, please contact us at membership@theunion.org and we will e-mail it to you as soon as possible. Thank you!

Record 1.
The Cambridge Declaration: towards clinical trials for drug-resistant tuberculosis [Editorial]
Espinal, Marcos; Farmer, Paul
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00001

Record 2.
A bigger and better International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease [Editorial]
Beyers, Nulda; Chan-Yeung, Moira; Pierard, Clare
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00002

Record 3.
The infectiousness of laryngeal tuberculosis: appropriate public health action based on false premises [Counterpoint]
Rieder, Hans L.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00003

Record 4.
Providing HIV care for co-infected tuberculosis patients: a perspective from sub-Saharan Africa [State of the art series. Tuberculosis. Edited by I. D. Rusen. Number 3 in the series]
AU: Harries, A.D.; Zachariah, R.; Lawn, S.D.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00004

Record 5.
Risk factors associated with recent transmission of tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis [Review article]
Nava-Aguilera, E.; Andersson, N.; Harris, E.; Mitchell, S.; Hamel, C.; Shea, B.; Lopez-Vidal, Y.; Villegas-Arrizon, A.; Morales-Perez, A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00005

Record 6.
Protecting patients rights, ensuring safety and quality assurance in tuberculosis prevalence surveys [Educational series. Serialised guidelines. Assessing tuberculosis prevalence through population-based surveys. Number 5 in the series]
Chiang, C-Y.; Glaziou, P.; Enarson, D.A.; Cobelens, F.; Lew, W-J.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00006

Record 7.
Annual risks of tuberculous infection in East Nusa Tenggara and Central Java Provinces, Indonesia
Bachtiar, A.; Miko, T.Y.; Machmud, R.; Besral, B.; Yudarini, P.; Mehta, F.; Chadha, V.K.; Basri, C.; Loprang, F.; Jitendra, R.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00007

Record 8.
Prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection among gold miners in South Africa
Hanifa, Y.; Grant, A.D.; Lewis, J.; Corbett, E.L.; Fielding, K.; Churchyard, G.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00008

Record 9.
A simple screening tool for active tuberculosis in HIV-infected adults receiving antiretroviral treatment in Uganda
Were, W.; Moore, D.; Ekwaru, P.; Mwima, G.; Bunnell, R.; Kaharuza, F.; Rutherford, G.; Mermin, J.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00009

Record 10.
Prevalence of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance in an HIV/AIDS reference hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Aguiar, F.; Vieira, M.A.; Staviack, A.; Buarque, C.; Marsico, A.; Fonseca, L.; Chaisson, R.; Kristski, A.; Werneck, G.; Mello, F.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00010

Record 11.
Evolution in the resistance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to anti-tuberculosis drugs in Nicaragua
Chacon, L.; Lainez, M.; Rosales, E.; Mercado, M.; Caminero, J.A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00011

Record 12.
Prevalence and risk factors for multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the Republic of Georgia: a population-based study
Lomtadze, N.; Aspindzelashvili, R.; Janjgava, M.; Mirtskhulava, V.; Wright, A.; Blumberg, H.M.; Salakaia, A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00012

Record 13.
Acquired drug resistance pattern in tuberculosis cases at the State Tuberculosis Centre, Delhi, India
Hanif, M.; Malik, S.; Dhingra, V.K.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00013

Record 14.
Increasing incidence of fluoroquinolone-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Mumbai, India
Agrawal, D.; Udwadia, Z.F.; Rodriguez, C.; Mehta, A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00014

Record 15.
T-cell assay conversions and reversions among household contacts of tuberculosis patients in rural India
Pai, M.; Joshi, R.; Dogra, S.; Zwerling, A.A.; Gajalakshmi, D.; Goswami, K.; Reddy, M.V.R.; Kalantri, A.; Hill, P.C.; Menzies, D.; Hopewell, P.C.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00015

Record 16.
Risk of active tuberculosis in adult household contacts of smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis cases
Kilicaslan, Z.; Kiyan, E.; Kucuk, C.; Kumbetli, S.; Sarimurat, N.; Ozturk, F.; Yapici, D.; Al, S.; Erboran, T.; Iliksu, N.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00016

Record 17.
Simple measures are as effective as invasive techniques in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in Malawi
Bell, D.J.; Dacombe, R.; Graham, S.M.; Hicks, A.; Cohen, D.; Chikaonda, T.; French, N.; Molyneux, M.E.; Zijlstra, E.E.; Squire, S.B.; Gordon, S.B.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00017

Record 18.
TI: Tuberculosis outcomes in Taipei: factors associated with treatment interruption for 2 months and death
AU: Chiang, C-Y.; Lee, J-J.; Yu, M-C.; Enarson, D.A.; Lin, T-P.; Luh, K-T.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00018

Record 19.
Impact of advocacy on the tuberculosis management practices of private practitioners in Chennai City, India
Krishnan, N.; Ananthakrishnan, R.; Augustine, S.; Vijayalakshmi, N.K.; Gopi, P.G.; Kumaraswami, V.; Narayanan, P.R.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00019

Record 20.
Influence of a single oral dose of vitamin D2 on serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in tuberculosis patients
Martineau, A.R.; Nanzer, A.M.; Satkunam, K.R.; Packe, G.E.; Rainbow, S.J.; Maunsell, Z.J.; Timms, P.M.; Venton, T.R.; Eldridge, S.M.; Davidson, R.N.; Wilkinson, R.J.; Griffiths, C.J.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00020

Record 21.
Variations in quality of carbol fuchsin stains collected from routine tuberculosis laboratories
Zhao, Y.L.; Liu, Y.H.; Jiang, G.L.; Chan, W.Y.; Yip, C.W.; Kam, K.M.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00021

Record 22.
Evaluating the performance of basic fuchsin for the Ziehl-Neelsen stain
Gordon, C.; Van Deun, A.; Lumb, R.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00022

Record 23.
Validation of bleach-treated smears for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis
Merid, Y.; Yassin, M.A.; Yamuah, L.; Kumar, R.; Engers, H.; Aseffa, A.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00023

Record 24.
Reduction in asthma morbidity following a community-based asthma self-management programme in Tonga
Foliaki, S.; Fakakovikaetau, T.; DSouza, W.; Latu, S.; Tutone, V.; Cheng, S.; Pearce, N.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00024

Record 25.
Normal chest radiographs in sputum culture-positive pulmonary tuberculosis [Correspondence]
Mullerpattan, Jai B.; Udwadia, Z.F.; Pepper, Tracy; McKee, Guat-Siew; Gibbs, Vicki; Joseph, Patrice; Haushalter, Alisa; Warkentin, Jon; Haas, David W.; Sterling, Timothy R.
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00025

Record 26.
Who determines the standard of care in research in resource poor countries? [Correspondence]
Houston, Stan
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00026

Record 27.
Induced sputum for diagnosis of cryptococcal pneumonia in Botswana [Correspondence]
Morse, Michelle; Kessler, Jason; Albrecht, Svenja; Kim, Rose; Thakur, Rameshwari; Nthobatsang, Rudo; Radisowa, Koobiditse; Maunatlala, Collonel; MacGregor, Rob Roy; Friedman, Harvey
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00027

Record 28.
Errata
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000001/art00028