WHO calls MDR-TB “a potentially explosive situation”
WHO Director-General Margaret Chan described multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) as a “time bomb” at the opening session of a meeting held on 1-3 April in Beijing. Health ministers and senior officials from 27 countries with a high-burden of MDR- and other hard-to-treat strains of TB gathered to develop a strategy for dealing with this growing threat. The Union plays an important role in helping countries prevent and manage MDR-TB through technical assistance, education and research. Read more....
Read more about the ministerial meeting

Union Board approved statement on undocumented migrants
Undocumented migrants represent 5–30% of immigrants and 5–10% of tuberculosis cases in low- or intermediate-incidence countries. Based on research done by the Tuberculosis Scientific Section’s Working Group on Transborder Migration and TB, The Union Board of Directors has made an official statement on the recommended approach to diagnosing and treating TB in this population.
To obtain a copy of the Official Statement and/or the Working Group’s report, please visit www.theunion.org, click on Publications, then go to Official Documents.

The STOP TB Partners Forum in Rio
Dr Nils E Billo, Executive Director of The Union, was a keynote speaker at the closing ceremony of the 3rd Stop TB Partners Forum in Rio de Janeiro on 23-25 March 2009. Former US President Bill Clinton, founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation, also gave a video address during this session. The Union distributed free publications and information in the Marketplace. The civil society Partnership for TB Care and Control in India, whose Secretariat is hosted by The Union South-East Asia Office, also had a booth.

One Million Youth March to Stop TB
One million people suffer from tuberculosis in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, and this year millions of volunteers stepped up – literally -- to show their support by joining in the Million Youth March to Stop TB. Read more. . .

TB patients in Orissa form organisation
The Union works closely with India’s National TB Programme (NTP) to improve TB control in the state of Orissa, home to the largest tribal population in the country. For World TB Day 2009, The Union coordinated a workshop in the state on empowering patients and the community for TB control. TB patients from 18 of 30 districts were among those who attended. The event led to the establishment of a state chapter of the patient advocacy organisation Rajya Rogi Adhikar Mancha.

World TB Day marked in Kinshasa with street plays and awards
World TB Day in Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) began with a march through the streets to the offices of the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP). A colourful event with songs, street plays and speeches took place there. Provincial coordination teams and the health zones that had the best results in case detection and treatment received awards. Those who have worked for the NTP for more than 15 years received bicycles as recognition of their commitment.
The Union works closely with both the NTP and the National AIDS Programme in DR Congo, one of the countries participating in the Integrated HIV Care for TB Patients Living with HIV/AIDS (IHC) programme. . . In addition, The Union is also the implementing partner of the TB Control Assistance Program (TB CAP) mechanism to strengthen TB control in the country, funded by USAID.
Read more...

Tobacco control workshop held in Indonesia
In March, the Tobacco Control Department supported tobacco control efforts in Indonesia by leading a workshop for Ministry of Health and civil society representatives. The goal was to provide a forum for sharing experiences and best practices in creating and enforcing smoke free areas. Among the participants were representatives from the health departments of seven provinces planning at least one smoke free city in their jurisdictions. The Union South-East Office helped coordinate this event.


TobaccoAcademy Policy Course
The TobaccoAcademy online course in tobacco control policy has now been made available to all Bloomberg Initiative (BI) grantees. This is a part-time, distance learning course that will help participants gain a basic understanding of issues regarding tobacco control policies and appreciate the background and rationale of international tobacco control. The course is currently available in English.
TobaccoAcademy provides discussion forums, student profiles and a notice board to facilitate further learning and communication between participants and mentors. The course materials are also an excellent technical resource. For more information, please contact The Union Tobacco Control Department at tobaccofreeunion@theunion.org.

New Union monograph addresses lung health and indoor air pollution
A growing number of studies associate exposure to solid fuel combustion products with respiratory diseases, such as acute lower respiratory infections in young children, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in women and lung cancer in women exposed to coal smoke. In addition, asthma is made worse. A new monograph published by The Union offers a first step towards recognising, reducing and preventing this problem. Lung Health consequences of exposure to smoke from domestic use of solid fuels: a guide for low-income countries on what it is and what to do about it (The Union, 2009) is available at no charge. Click here to download.

World Asthma Day is Tuesday, 5 May
World Asthma Day is observed each year to build awareness of this growing lung health problem. An estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from this debilitating condition, including millions in low-income countries who have very limited access to care. Learn what The Union is doing to help through its Asthma Drug Facility.
The theme for World Asthma Day this year is “You can control your asthma”. Find posters, fact sheets and other materials to support your event from GINA.

Mizoram joins efforts to reduce tobacco use in India
The small state of Mizoram in north-eastern India has the highest prevalence of tobacco use in the country. Tobacco control efforts are underway, however, and recently the state was awarded a Bloomberg Grant for a campaign to make the state smoke free. Administrative and technical support for the grant will be provided by The Union South-East Asia Office.

40th Union World Conference on Lung Health
3-7 December 2009, Cancún, Mexico
‘‘Poverty and Lung Health’’

The website for the 40th Union World Conference on Lung Health is now online. Please visit the site often as the content will be updated regularly. To visit it now, please click here.
Abstract submission update: More than 1,100 abstracts were submitted by authors from 100 countries. These proposals are now being reviewed by a panel of international experts. The Union would like to thank all who submitted their work. Authors will be notified of the acceptance of their abstracts before the end of June 2009.

Applied Mycobacteriology for Tuberculosis Control
29 June-10 July 2009
Cotonou, Benin
Application deadline: 25 April 2009
Language: French
Max. no. of participants: 12
For more information on the programme, please click here.
For any query, please send a message to tb-lunghealth-courses@theunion.org

International Course on Clinical Management of Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
20-24 July 2009
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Application deadline: 31 May 2009
Language: Spanish
Max. no. of participants: 30
For more information on the programme, please click here.
For any query, please send a message to tb-lunghealth-courses@theunion.org

International Tuberculosis Course
31 August-18 September 2009
Cotonou, Benin
Application deadline: 31 May 2009
Language: French
Max. no. of participants: 25
For more information on the programme, please click here.
For any query, please send a message to tb-lunghealth-courses@theunion.org

International Tuberculosis Course
31 August-18 September 2009
Hanoi, Vietnam
Application deadline: 31 May 2009
Language: English
Max. no. of participants: 25
For more information on the programme, please click here.
For any query, please send a message to tb-lunghealth-courses@theunion.org

Join a network of thousands of lung health experts and advocates worldwide by becoming a Union member. Memberships start at the low cost of 20 euros per year. Learn more by visiting http://membership.worldlunghealth.org for a description of membership categories, benefits and fees. By clicking on « Membership online » you will find the new interactive form for renewals and new memberships. If you are already a member, ensure that you receive the best service from The Union by using your existing membership number. Forgotten your membership number? Please contact Thuy Duong or Florence Desparmet at membership@theunion.org

Record 1.
TI: The role of molecular epidemiology in low-income, high-burden countries [Editorial]
AU: van der Spuy, G.D.; Warren, R.M.; van Helden, P.D.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00001

Record 2.
TI: Lessons from tuberculosis control for public health [State of the art series. Tuberculosis. Edited by I. D. Rusen. Number 6 in the series]
AU: Frieden, T.R.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00002

Record 3.
TI: Learning about smoking during medical school: are we still missing opportunities? [Review article]
AU: Chatkin, J.; Chatkin, G.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00003

Record 4.
TI: Max Bernard Lurie and native resistance to tuberculosis [Founders of our knowledge]
AU: Daniel, T.M.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00004

Record 5.
TI: Evidence of protective effect of BCG vaccination in persons at low risk of tuberculosis in Nordic countries
AU: Brantsaeter, A.B.; Romanus, V.; Andersen, P.H.; Heldal, E.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00005

Record 6.
TI: Analysis of discordance between the tuberculin skin test and the interferon-gamma release assay
AU: Machado, A.J.r.; Emodi, K.; Takenami, I.; Finkmoore, B.C.; Barbosa, T.; Carvalho, J.; Cavalcanti, L.; Santos, G.; Tavares, M.; Mota, M.; Barreto, F.; Reis, M.G.; Arruda, S.; Riley, L.W.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00006

Record 7.
TI: Inadequate ventilation for nosocomial tuberculosis prevention in public hospitals in Central Thailand
AU: Jiamjarasrangsi, W.; Bualert, S.; Chongthaleong, A.; Chaindamporn, A.; Udomsantisuk, N.; Euasamarnjit, W.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00007

Record 8.
TI: Comparison of four culture systems for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the Zambian National Reference Laboratory
AU: Muyoyeta, M.; Schaap, J.A.; De Haas, P.; Mwanza, W.; Muvwimi, M.W.; Godfrey-Faussett, P.; Ayles, H.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00008

Record 9.
TI: Buoyant density of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: implications for sputum processing
AU: den Hertog, A.L.; Klatser, P.R.; Anthony, R.M.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00009

Record 10.
TI: Combining polymerase chain reaction restriction enzyme analysis with phenotypic characters for mycobacteria identification in Taiwan
AU: Shen, G-H.; Hung, C-H.; Hu, S-T.; Wu, B-D.; Lin, C-F.; Chen, C-H.; Wu, K-M.; Chen, J-H.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00010

Record 11.
TI: Polymorphisms in CCL5 promoter are associated with pulmonary tuberculosis in northern Spain
AU: Sanchez-Castanon, M.; Baquero, I.C.; Sanchez-Velasco, P.; Farinas, M-C.; Ausin, F.; Leyva-Cobian, F.; Ocejo-Vinyals, J.G.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00011

Record 12.
TI: Characterising transmission of a tuberculosis genotype in Scotland: a qualitative approach to social network enquiry
AU: Jackson, A.D.; Seagar, A-L.; Reid, M.E.; Doig, C.; Forbes, K.J.; Laurenson, I.F.; McMenamin, J.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00012

Record 13.
TI: Drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates from tuberculosis patients in Kerala, India
AU: Joseph, B.V.; Soman, S.; Radhakrishnan, I.; Madhavilatha, G.K.; Paul, L.K.; Mundayoor, S.; Kumar, R.A.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00013

Record 14.
TI: Nationwide drug resistance survey of tuberculosis in the Philippines
AU: Philippine Nationwide Tuberculosis Drug Resistance Survey Team,
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00014

Record 15.
TI: Active case finding of undetected tuberculosis among chronic coughers in a slum setting in Kampala, Uganda
AU: Sekandi, J.N.; Neuhauser, D.; Smyth, K.; Whalen, C.C.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00015

Record 16.
TI: Analysis of care-seeking pathways of tuberculosis patients in Guangxi, China, with and without decentralised tuberculosis services
AU: Wei, X-L.; Liang, X-Y.; Walley, J.D.; Liu, F-Y.; Dong, B-Q.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00016

Record 17.
TI: Risk factors for new pulmonary tuberculosis patients failing treatment under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme, India
AU: Singla, R.; Srinath, D.; Gupta, S.; Visalakshi, P.; Khalid, U.K.; Singla, N.; Gupta, U.A.; Bharty, S.K.; Behera, D.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00017

Record 18.
TI: Long-term morbidity from severe pneumonia in early childhood in The Gambia, West Africa: a follow-up study
AU: Puchalski Ritchie, L.M.; Howie, S.R.C.; Arenovich, T.; Cheung, Y.B.; Weber, M.; Moore, S.; Adegbola, R.A.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00018

Record 19.
TI: Feasibility test results of the Practical Approach to Lung Health in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
AU: Brimkulov, N.; Ottmani, S-E.; Pio, A.; Chubakov, T.; Sultanova, A.; Davletalieva, N.; Kalieva, A.; Rittman, J.; Erhola, M.; Cholurova, R.; Blanc, L.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00019

Record 20.
TI: Development process of the Practical Approach to Lung Health in Kyrgyzstan
AU: Erhola, M.L.; Brimkulov, N.; Chubakov, T.; Niemi, L.; Bergman, V.; Lahdensuo, A.; Pio, A.; Ottmani, S-E.
URL: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2009/00000013/00000004/art00020