40th Union World Conference on Lung Health on
3-7 December 2009 in Cancún, Mexico
The Union World Conference is the largest annual conference to focus on lung health issues from the perspective of low- and middle-income populations. There you can learn firsthand about the experiences of colleagues from Africa, Asia and Europe – as well as the Americas – who are dealing with the challenges of TB, HIV, asthma, childhood pneumonia, tobacco control and other issues.
Most sessions will be in English with plenary sessions offering simultaneous translation in Spanish and English. A daily Spanish-language track will also be offered. Highlights of the programme:
3 December: Stop TB Symposium organised by the World Health Organization.
4 December: 10 postgraduate courses and 15 workshops (including 4 in Spanish) as well as the Opening Ceremony
5-7 December: 53 symposia, 50 sessions based on abstracts and 3 plenary sessions.
For details, online registration and hotel booking, please visit the conference website.

Union awards recognise contributions to TB and lung health
Receive recognition for your contributions to TB and lung health from The Union and thousands of your peers at the Opening Ceremony of the World Conference. Apply now for The Union Scientific Prize and the Karel Styblo Award for Public Health. Applications must be received by midnight on Friday, 18 September. For details, please click here.

Submit session proposals for 41st World Conference in 2010
Online submission of sessions for the 41st Union World Conference on Lung Health is now open. The conference will take place in Berlin, Germany on 11-15 November 2010. Proposed sessions should relate to the theme "Tuberculosis, HIV and lung health: from research and innovations to solutions" and be submitted no later than 31 October 2009.
For direct access to the guidelines and online submission, click here.

Enter your 2009 Christmas/TB Seals in our annual contest
Fully paid-up constituent and organisational members are invited to enter the annual Christmas Seals exhibit and contest held at the World Conference. Submitted seals are exhibited in The Union Village during the conference and members vote for their favourites at the General Assembly. Please click here for submission guidelines. The deadline for submitting your seals is Friday, 23 October.

The Union helps strengthen TB Control in Orissa
In India’s poorest state, Orissa, more than 80% of the population live in rural and tribal areas, so effective TB control is very challenging. Since October 2007, The Union has been working with India’s Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP) and other partners to improve TB case finding and care in Orissa through advocacy, communication and social mobilisation techniques. Click here to see a slide show and story about on this project.

Mexico City smoke-free case study launched
With a population of 15 million, Mexico City is one of the world’s biggest cities to go “smoke free”. On 3 September, The Union’s Mexico Country Office released a case study of the success factors and lessons learned from Mexico City’s experience. Read more. . .

Workshop in New Delhi addresses poor compliance to pack warning law
A law requiring cigarette and other tobacco packages to have both graphic and text warnings in local languages went into effect in India on 1 June 2009. So far, however, the tobacco industry's compliance has been poor. In August, The Union South-East Asia Office, WHO India and India’s Ministry of Health & Family Welfare held a workshop in New Delhi to address this problem. Read more . . .

Comprehensive approach to lung health will be discussed in Cancun symposium
Results of an initiative to approach lung health comprehensively – rather than from a disease-specific perspective – will be discussed at the Union World Conference on Lung Health, 3-7 December, in Cancún, Mexico. The project funded by the World Bank applied The Union’s model for TB services to standard case management of asthma and pneumonia in children under 5 and tobacco cessation in TB patients. The association between indoor air pollution and TB was also studied. For details about the symposium “Comprehensive lung health services in resource limited settings”, click here.

Standard case management of asthma: main challenges, implementation, monitoring
“Asthma as a public health problem in low- and middle-income countries” will be the subject of a postgraduate course on Friday, 4 December at the Union World Conference in Cancún, Mexico. Course coordinators will be Prof Nadia Aït-Khaled, head of the Asthma Division, and Dr Chiang Chen-Yuan, Director of the Department of Lung Health and Non-Communicable Diseases, at The Union. For more details, please click here.

Spotlight on the HIV and TB/HIV programme for Cancún, 2009
The Union HIV Scientific Section has planned 14 symposia, 2 post-graduate courses and a workshop for the upcoming World Conference. These sessions will focus on both HIV and TB/HIV issues, including biomedical interventions, health systems responses to the dual epidemic, and controversial issues in HIV. The session addressing NTP and NAP collaborative issues will be held again this year. For details, please click here.

Training Leaders in Public Health
Studies have shown that a well-managed health programme helps to reduce new cases and improve cure rates. However, a mismanaged health programme is more likely to misdiagnose symptoms, lose track of patients’ information, experience constant breaks in cash flow and suffer from a host of other problems. The International Management Development Programme (IMDP) is responding to these challenges by offering health officials the training they need to improve the services offered to the public.

The IMDP offers five courses throughout the year that develop key skills – finance, budgeting, human resources management, communications, leadership, and project management. By developing managers’ skills, public health programmes will see over time a significant shift in the quality of services provided to the public. For further information about IMDP courses, please visit www.union-imdp.org or email imdp@theunion.org.

Renew your membership for 2010!
It’s now time to renew memberships for 2010. We thank all our constituent, organisational and individual members for their support this year – and hope you will continue to be part of The Union’s international network for many years to come. Your membership fees provide critically important unrestricted funds that help The Union develop innovative health solutions for the poor, such as the Asthma Drug Facility (ADF). You can renew online today at Membership Services. Or, if you are not yet a member, join today!

Evidence-based TB diagnosis: new website
The Stop TB Partnership’s New Diagnostics Working Group has recently launched a new website on Evidence-based Tuberculosis Diagnosis. Several agencies, groups and individuals contributed to the development of this comprehensive resource, including the WHO, Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), the Global Laboratory Initiative (GLI), and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Click here to visit the website.

13th Conference of The Union North America Region
11-13 March 2010, Orlando, Florida
“Under One Sun: Looking Ahead, Working Together, Moving Forward “
The Organising Committee of The Union North America Region reminds you that the deadline for submitting abstracts for the 13th NAR conference is 2 October 2009, whereas the deadline for registering will be 4 March 2010. To read more about the conference, click here.

Important announcement: New Editors-in-Chief for the IJTLD
The current Editors-in-Chief of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Professor Nulda Beyers (Tuberculosis) and Professor Moira Chan-Yeung (Lung Disease) will complete their mandates as of 31 December 2010. Accordingly, The Union is inviting applications for the next five-year term.

Applicants for the positions are expected to be knowledgeable about the broad fields of tuberculosis and respiratory diseases, and will preferably have had previous editorial experience. Interested persons are invited to submit their curriculum vitae, bibliography and the names of three referees by 31 March 2010 to:
Asma El Sony, MD
Chair, Nominating Committee
International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
68 boulevard Saint Michel
75006 Paris - FRANCE
Tel: (+33 1) 44 32 03 60
Fax: (+33 1) 43 29 90 87
E-mail: eicjournal@theunion.org


September IJTLD highlights
In the September issue of the Journal, an editorial by Melanie Newport discusses the puzzling reasons why human genetics hasn’t taught us more about tuberculosis. Click here.

In the same issue, an Unresolved Issues paper by Anthony et al. questions the safety of using liquid culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis without prior implementation of laboratory capacity strengthening. Click here.

Finally, in their article entitled “Bulk acid-fast staining of sputum smears: time to end a taboo”, Kam et al. return to the discussion about the perceived dangers of automated bulk staining of sputum smears in low-resource settings, and conclude both that the risk is negligible and that the practice should not be discouraged. Click here.

Record 1.
TI: Why hasnt human genetics told us more about tuberculosis? [Editorial]
AU: Newport, Melanie J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 2.
TI: Liquid culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis: proceed, but with caution [Unresolved issues]
AU: Anthony, R.M.; Cobelens, F.G.J.; Gebhard, A.; Klatser, P.R.; Lumb, R.; Rusch-Gerdes, S.; van Soolingen, D.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 3.
TI: The role of chronic hepatitis in isoniazid hepatotoxicity during treatment for latent tuberculosis infection [Review article]
AU: Bliven, E.E.; Podewils, L.J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 4.
TI: The value of tuberculosis elimination and of progress in tuberculosis control in twentieth-century England and Wales [Review article]
AU: Hickson, K.J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 5.
TI: Association of SLC11A1 with tuberculosis and interactions with NOS2A and TLR2 in African-Americans and Caucasians
AU: Velez, D.R.; Hulme, W.F.; Myers, J.L.; Stryjewski, M.E.; Abbate, E.; Estevan, R.; Patillo, S.G.; Gilbert, J.R.; Hamilton, C.D.; Scott, W.K.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 6.
TI: Disparities in tuberculosis between Asian/Pacific Islanders and non-Hispanic Whites, United States, 19932006
AU: Manangan, L.; Elmore, K.; Lewis, B.; Pratt, R.; Armstrong, L.; Davison, J.; Santibanez, S.; Heetderks, A.; Robison, V.; Lee, V.; Navin, T.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 7.
TI: The incidence of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria in British Columbia, Canada
AU: Hernandez-Garduno, E.; Rodrigues, M.; Elwood, R.K.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 8.
TI: Completeness of notification of adult tuberculosis in Iasi County, Romania: a capture-recapture analysis
AU: Cojocaru, C.; van Hest, N.A.; Mihaescu, T.; Davies, P.D.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 9.
TI: The decline of tuberculosis in Yemen: evaluation based on two nationwide tuberculin surveys
AU: Al-Absi, A.; Bassili, A.; Abdul Bary, H.; Barker, A.; Daniels, M.; Munim, A.; Seita, A.; Williams, B.; Dye, C.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 10.
TI: Rifampicin serum levels in childhood tuberculosis
AU: Thee, S.; Detjen, A.; Wahn, U.; Magdorf, K.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 11.
TI: Evaluation of FASTPlaqueTB to diagnose smear-negative tuberculosis in a peripheral clinic in Kenya
AU: Bonnet, M.; Gagnidze, L.; Varaine, F.; Ramsay, A.; Githui, W.; Guerin, P.J.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 12.
TI: Bulk acid-fast staining of sputum smears: time to end a taboo
AU: Kam, K.M.; Yip, C.W.; Tang, H.S.; Van Deun, A.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 13.
TI: The bleach method improves the detection of pulmonary tuberculosis in Laos
AU: Ongkhammy, S.; Amstutz, V.; Barennes, H.; Buisson, Y.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 14.
TI: Sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence microscopy for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis in a high HIV prevalence setting
AU: Cattamanchi, A.; Davis, J.L.; Worodria, W.; den Boon, S.; Yoo, S.; Matovu, J.; Kiidha, J.; Nankya, F.; Kyeyune, R.; Byanyima, P.; Andama, A.; Joloba, M.; Osmond, D.H.; Hopewell, P.C.; Huang, L.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 15.
TI: Access to tuberculosis diagnosis in Itaborai City, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: the patients point of view
AU: Motta, M.C.S.; Villa, T.C.S.; Golub, J.; Kritski, A.L.; Ruffino-Netto, A.; Silva, D.F.; Harter, R.G.; Scatena, L.M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 16.
TI: Proficiency of drug susceptibility testing for Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Taiwan
AU: Jou, R.; Chiang, C-Y.; Yu, C-Y.; Wu, M-H.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 17.
TI: Prevalence and risk factors for drug resistance among hospitalized tuberculosis patients in Georgia
AU: Vashakidze, L.; Salakaia, A.; Shubladze, N.; Cynamon, M.; Barbakadze, K.; Kikvidze, M.; Papitashvili, L.; Nonikashvili, M.; Solomonia, N.; Bejanishvili, N.; Khurtsilava, I.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 18.
TI: Surveillance of drug-resistant tuberculosis in the state of Gujarat, India
AU: Ramachandran, R.; Nalini, S.; Chandrasekar, V.; Dave, P.V.; Sanghvi, A.S.; Wares, F.; Paramasivan, C.N.; Narayanan, P.R.; Sahu, S.; Parmar, M.; Chadha, S.; Dewan, P.; Chauhan, L.S.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 19.
TI: Pharmacokinetics of prothionamide in patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
AU: Lee, H.W.; Kim, D.W.; Park, J.H.; Kim, S-D.; Lim, M-S.; Phapale, P.B.; Kim, E-H.; Park, S.K.; Yoon, Y-R.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 20.
TI: Major haemoptysis in Hong Kong: aetiologies, angiographic findings and outcomes of bronchial artery embolisation
AU: Chan, V.L.; So, L.K.Y.; Lam, J.Y.M.; Lau, K-Y.; Chan, C-S.; Lin, A.W.N.; Chu, C-M.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 21.
TI: Translation of questions: the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) experience
AU: Ellwood, P.; Williams, H.; Ait-Khaled, N.; Bjorksten, B.; Robertson, C.; ISAAC Phase III Study Group,
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 22.
TI: External quality assessment of smear microscopy by the National Reference Laboratory in nine states of India [Short communication]
AU: Kumar, V.; Raghavan, R.; Nagamiah, S.; Chauhan, L.S.
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 23.
TI: Invalid screening algorithm [Correspondence]
AU: Maro, Isaac; Mtei, Lillian; von Reyn, C. Fordham; Lawn, Stephen D.; Kranzer, Katharina; Edwards, David J.; Wood, Robin; Were, Willy; Moore, David; Kaharuza, Frank; Ekwaru, Paul; Mwima, Gerald; Bunnell, Rebecca; Rutherford, George; Mermin, Jonathan
URL: Click here to access the article

Record 24.
TI: Disseminated BCG disease and the full contraindication to BCG vaccination for children exposed to and/or infected by HIV [Correspondence]
AU: Fernandes, Regina Celia de Souza Campos; Medina-Acosta, Enrique; Hesseling, A.C.; Cotton, M.F.; Mak, T.K.; Fordham von Reyn, C.; Graham, S.M.; Gie, R.P.; Hussey, G.D.
URL: Click here to access the article