Aidspan: Global Fund Observer

Aditi (name changed), 18, sat cross-legged on her private hospital bed in Kolkata. The black scarf covering her mouth did little to hide her emaciated face. Cheeks stained with long-dried tears, she stared at the ceiling unsure of whether she’d live or die – unsure of whether or not there was a real cure for her.

A breakthrough study conducted by Professor Keertan Dheda and Dr Michele Tomasicchio, at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Centre for Lung Infection and Immunity, has revealed that one of South Africa’s most commonly-used injectable contraceptives could potentially increase women’s chances of contracting tuberculosis (TB).

Sixteen tuberculosis (TB) survivors met with leaders on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, to share their experiences with those who have responsibility for determining the US government’s response to TB both in the US and worldwide. This was part of World TB Survivor Advocacy Day – an annual event coordinated by the US-based TB Roundtable, on whose secretariat The Union serves with other partner organisations.

Antibiotic resistance has been called one of the biggest public health threats of our time. There is a pressing need for new and novel antibiotics to combat the rise in antibiotic-resistant bacteria worldwide.

WHO said that it will launch a public online consultation involving governments, industry and civil society to try to come up with a broad consensus on what actually constitutes a “fair price” for essential medicines.

April 13, 2019: In 2017, the Canadian-based International Council of AIDS Service Organizations (ICASO) and Venezuelan NGO Acción Ciudadana Contra el SIDA (ACCSI) released the first “Triple Threat” Bulletin, an X-ray on Venezuela’s health crisis, specifically on tuberculosis (TBC), malaria and HIV. Back then, the findings were grim. You’d expect after a year, someone, and by “someone” I mean chavismo (who—as actioning government for the past two decades—is the sole responsible for the crisis) would have taken action to stop people from dying of preventable, treatable causes.

Two important tools for activists to use with donors and national TB programs in advocating for increased scale-up of the inexpensive, urine TB LAM test - an essential diagnostic test for TB in people living with HIV.

12 April 2019 | Geneva: Following the release of the 2018 WHO consolidated guidelines on the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis, the Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) of WHO through its Green Light Committee (GLC) mechanism organized a consultant training workshop held from 27-29 March 2019 in Sydney, Australia. A total of 25 experts were equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, including practical problem-solving, diplomacy and cultural competencies to ensure delivery of high quality support and constructive communication at all levels within the TB programme and government in line with WHO standards.

According to data published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, the dosing recommendations regarding levofloxacin for the treatment and prevention of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) in children may need to be re-evaluated.