South African Naidoo honoured for TB-HIV research and Siberian TB programme recognised for its success in managing MDR-TB
The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) last night presented awards for scientific achievement and public health excellence to an eminent South African researcher and an innovative multidrug-resistant TB project launched in Siberia . Dr Kogieleum Naidoo received the annual Union Scientific prize for her published research on TB-HIV, and the Tomsk Oblast Tuberculosis and Pulmonology Medical Center in Russia received the Karel Styblo Public Health Prize for piloting the use of DOTS-Plus -Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course, for multidrug resistant TB (MDR-TB) - to combat MDR-TB.
The Union presents these awards annually at the inaugural session of the Union World Conference on Lung Health, which is being held this year at the Palais des Congrès in Paris from 30 October through 3 November. The awards include a cash prize and a full fellowship to participate in the World Conference, which is the largest annual conference addressing lung health in low- and middle-income countries and other limited-resource settings.
The Union Scientific Prize: Dr Kogieleum Naidoo (South Africa)
The Union Scientific Prize acknowledges researchers at any stage of their career for work in lung health that has been published in the last five years.
Dr Kogieleum Naidoo received The Union Scientific Prize for research that includes a study of when to initiate antiretroviral drugs during TB treatment that demonstrated a 56% reduction in mortality among patients co-infected with HIV and TB. This highly cited study has been used by the WHO, the United States and South Africa to inform clinical care guidelines for the 1.1 million patients who need simultaneous treatment for TB and HIV. Dr Naidoo is currently the Principal Investigator for a study on TB recurrence in TB-HIV infected patients and head of the Treatment Research Programme for the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) in Durban, South Africa.
The Karel Styblo Public Health Prize: The Tomsk Oblast Tuberculosis and Pulmonology Medical Center (Russia)
The Karel Styblo Public Health Prize honors a health worker (physician or lay person), or a community organisation for contributions to tuberculosis control over a period of 10 years or more.
The Tomsk Oblast TB and Pulmonology Medical Center is being honoured for its pioneering work in developing best practices for treating both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant TB using a collaborative, multidisciplinary process. Staff piloted the first DOTS-Plus (Directly Observed Treatment Strategy for multidrug-resistant TB cases) programme in Russia in the prison sector of Tomsk Oblast and saw TB mortality drop dramatically. Their approach was extended to the civil sector beginning in 2001. As a result, TB incidence, prevalence and mortality are decreasing faster there than in neighboring territories in Siberia and Russia as a whole. In recognition of its success, the programme has been designated as a Center of Excellence for the World Health Organization on Programmatic Management of Drug-Resistant TB.
"Since its inception in 1920, The Union has been at the centre of international efforts to fight TB, leveraging the knowledge and experience of individuals and organisations around the world," said Jose Luis Castro, Interim Executive Director of The Union. "In that same tradition, the contributions of this year's Union award winners will benefit the 1.5 million patients who need better care for TB-HIV and MDR-TB today – and all who come after them".