Search

India’s Ministry of Health has announced that pictorial health warnings covering 85 per cent of the display surface of all tobacco products will now be introduced in April 2016.

First issued in October last year, this bold directive to protect public health has been…

Today, the World Health Organization released new guidelines on when to start antiretroviral therapy (ART) and pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. This is a significant step towards improving and saving lives, since the new guidelines stipulate that ART should begin immediately…

Project Axshya, an innovative – and enormous – five-year project designed to improve access to TB diagnosis and treatment in India, has been approved by The Global Fund to continue through 2017 under the New Funding Model. The decision was based on the consistently high…

Seven health professional organisations in Indonesia have joined together to sign a consensus statement on tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus – two diseases whose inter-relationship is causing great concern.

In 2014 there were 387 million people with diabetes, 77…

‘We know that we are making significant progress because the tobacco industry has really stepped up its game, challenging everything we do,’ says Dr Fouad Aslam, The Union’s focal point for tobacco control in Pakistan. The country’s high and Supreme Court dockets…

In an historic moment for the non-communicable disease (NCD) community, world leaders formally adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations in New York on 25 September. These 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets will drive…

At an event in New York, USA, (Thursday, 24 September) to celebrate the important milestone of the inclusion of NCDs in the Post-2015 Agenda being adopted at the UN General Assembly this week, Executive Director of The Union, José Luis Castro, formally assumed the role of…

As part of the Call to Action for a TB-Free India, representatives from 46 civil society organisations working on TB prevention and care met in New Delhi to discuss the steps necessary to achieve a TB-Free India and the vital role of civil society in this effort. The meeting…

3,000 researchers, health professionals, government officials and activists sectors to convene in Cape Town on 2–6 December 2015

2nd Global TB Summit to precede the conference

The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) will host…

Parliamentarians from seven countries formed the Asia Pacific TB Caucus at an historic meeting held this week in conjunction with the 5th Conference of The Union Asia Pacific Region in Sydney, Australia.  Delegates from India, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua…

The pandemic of tobacco-related diseases, global efforts to introduce tobacco control and the tobacco industry’s counter efforts to protect the market for its profitable and deadly products were key topics of discussion at the 5th Conference of The Union Asia Pacific Region…

Parliamentarians from nine countries participated in the Asia Pacific TB Parliamentary Caucus to consider how best to build regional support for addressing tuberculosis.

Held in conjunction with the 5th Conference of The Union Asia Pacific Region in Sydney,…

More than 90 per cent of participants in the China City Adult Tobacco Survey 2013-14 supported a total ban on smoking inside public places, including healthcare facilities, workplaces, schools and taxis. Over 80 per cent of respondents also supported restrictions on…

Dr Ignacio “Nacho” Monedero likes the challenge of practicing medicine in difficult circumstances. Whether it’s rescuing injured climbers on a Spanish mountainside or working in an African bush clinic, he is drawn to situations that remind him why went into medicine…

In developing countries, mortality in children with very severe pneumonia is high, even with the provision of appropriate antibiotics, standard oxygen therapy and other supportive care. A new study published in The Lancet by researchers in Bangladesh and co-authored by The…

Operational research is increasingly recognised as an essential tool for evaluating and modifying health practices and policies. To help meet the urgent need for health professionals with the skills to conduct this type of research independently, the TREAT TB initiative has…

BMC Public Health has published the results of a Union study that showed 66.8% of TB patients who were current smokers quit when brief advice on smoking cessation and smokefree homes was provided as part of their routine TB care. The study was conducted in 17 primary…

The Zimbabwean Parliamentarian Portfolio Committee on Health has agreed to put tuberculosis (TB) on the political agenda. This commitment was made at a parliamentarian workshop supported by Challenge TB, which took place in Kadoma on 31 July–1 August 2015. Twenty-five members…

Low- and middle-income country delegates attending the upcoming 5th Conference of The Union Asia-Pacific Region may apply for sponsorship to participate in a full-day Operational Research Skills Workshop to be held on Sunday, 30 August 2015. The workshop is part of the…

Civil society groups in Pakistan have issued a high court petition to prevent the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination from withdrawing life-saving legislation to reduce tobacco use. The new law – which was due to come into force on 31 July –…