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Monthly news item – July 2024

• Thae Hsu Seesar's remarkable journey from a frail child to a resilient advocate for people living with HIV/AIDS serves as a testament to her indomitable spirit. Raised in a world riddled with adversity, she endured the loss of both parents. At just 13 years old, she received…

• To fulfil the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS, The Union’s HIV programme is committed to delivering holistic care, treatment and prevention of HIV in 34 townships in Myanmar. Operating within the public sector, this initiative is deeply integrated into healthcare…

• Today, Thae Hsu Seesar is a proud mother, living her life without fear. Regular lab tests confirm her successful ART regimen and controlled viral load. She embraces her role as an advocate, acknowledging the generosity of ART donors and the dedication of healthcare providers…

• Ma Swe Swe Myint’s life was a tale of two halves – one before and one after discovering her HIV status.

  “In December 2002, my world was filled with joy as I was carrying my second pregnancy, fresh out of university. However, that joy abruptly turned to darkness in…

• From clinical consultations to laboratory testing, tracking those who falter and a highly effective TB-HIV collaborative effort, The Union’s HIV programme extends a hand to all who seek its support like Ma Swe Swe Myint.

  The true heart of this programme lies in its…

• “To all my dear friends facing health challenges, remember that you can overcome life's ups and downs. I wish you all the strength, resilience, and a bright future ahead. Your journey, like mine, can transition from darkness to light.”

• Ko Tun Tun Htet’s journey is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit in the face of immense adversity. At 46 years old, he is a peer client supporter from Need Peer Community Representative, based in Yangon. His story begins with limited knowledge about HIV, a virus…

• The Union’s HIV programme shines a beacon of hope, as acknowledged by many supported by it, much like the way it ignited the spark in Ko Tun Tun Htet’s life.

  Ranging from vital clinical consultations to meticulous laboratory testing, tracking those who falter and an…

• Ko Tun Tun Htet’s story is one of resilience, hope, and the power of compassion. He transformed personal tragedy into a commitment to improving the lives of others affected by HIV, showing that even in the face of adversity, one can rise above it with determination and the…

The Union gratefully acknowledges the following governments, agencies, foundations, corporations and individuals that supported The Union’s work in 2023.

Free Online Course on CXR Interpretation for Child Tuberculosis Diagnosis

• For many years, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has pioneered capacity building in operational research. While there are many resources, a written, comprehensive guide has not been available.

  The Union has developed the second…

• The International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) has developed a comprehensive guide on operational research. The second edition of Operational Research to Improve Health Services: A practical guide for protocol development, data capture and…

• New research finds that a community-based approach to delivering TB treatment is highly effective at achieving successful TB treatment outcomes in Togo.

  The Union led the study in partnership with Togo’s National TB Programme (NTP) and the World Health Organization’s…

An article in a forthcoming issue of PHA assesses the reasons for loss-to-follow-up in patients being treated for disease resistant TB.

The Union launches Principles of TB Care and Prevention course

The fact that TB remains a global health crisis is one of the greatest injustices of our time.

Kit de formation gratuit sur la tuberculose chez les enfants et les adolescents

• The TB Infection control held a joint webinar: Empowering Nurses: Autonomy in TB Care and Implementation of Tuberculin skin test. 

  This webinar was a partnership between the Union's TB Infection Control working group, the Union's Nurses & Allied…

• The following policies apply to all Union publications. Before submission, authors should refer to the Instructions to Authors for each journal to check that they have complied with our requirements.

  Epidemiological studies should be conducted and reported…

• Acknowledge only those people who have made substantial contributions to the study, with their consent. All sources of funding support relevant to the published work should be included. Please also include a data availability statement with a link to the repository used…

• Transparency is key to the use of AI in science publishing – it is needed to reassure editors, reviewers and readers about the work’s credibility. We require authors to declare the proportion of their manuscript generated using AI and remind them that they remain accountable…

• Please follow the criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors’ (ICMJE), who recommend that authorship be based on the following four criteria:

  Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition…

• Clinical trials must be registered in a WHO compliant clinical trial registry and reported  according to CONSORT guidelines. 

• All conflicts of interest should be declared. Examples of financial and non-financial interests that should be reported include shares in companies related to the submitted work, or employment or consultancy fees for companies that could have interests related to the work.…

• All content is preserved in perpetuity via CLOCKSS and LOCKSS.

• Authors retain copyright and can reuse the article for any purpose they see fit, including to send a copy of the PDF to colleagues, to post on ResearchGate or to deposit on institutional websites.

• We follow the COPE guidelines on retraction when assessing the need for an article to be corrected or retracted - see https://doi.org/10.24318/cope.2019.1.4

• We strongly encourage authors to share the data and other elements presented. Authors may include a data availability statement within the Acknowledgements section and provide a link to an appropriate public repository, or include details on how the data can be obtained.

• We support international ethical standards related to research and publication of research that relate to vulnerable groups and individuals, see for example ‘World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki – ethical principles for medical research involving human…

• The Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board are responsible for overseeing peer review. After initial triage by the Editor-in-Chief, each article is assigned to an Associate Editor to identify peer reviewers. The final decision on whether to accept or reject submissions is the…

• Authors who wish to include material from other copyrighted sources must seek permission from the copyright holders and provide written evidence of this permission at the time the article is submitted.

• The Journal checks for plagiarism. If suspected, we follow the guidelines set out by the Committee on Publications Ethics (COPE)

• Please avoid terms that may be perceived to be stigmatising, such as “TB suspect” or “defaulter”. Authors can refer to the following publication: Zachariah R. et al., Language in tuberculosis services: can we change to patient-centred terminology and stop the paradigm of…

• We work with Sponsors/Advertisers to create content that benefits our community and the Sponsor/Advertiser.

  All potential partners are subject to a due diligence process to avoid any conflicts of interest. We have a strict policy to ensure the partner does…

• Every effort is made to ensure that no inaccurate or misleading data or statements appear in our journals, but the data and opinions are the responsibility of the authors of each article. Also, although every effort is made to ensure that drug doses are presented…

• The Union is looking for an individual with recognised stature in the field of lung health to serve as Scientific Chair of The Union World Conference on Lung Health 2025-2027.

  The Chair must be a content expert in Lung Health and requires management acumen, the…

Based upon our Principles of Management in Tuberculosis Care and Prevention, The Union developed TBData4Action, a training program on TB data specific to the needs of the Government of Kenya.

• On 12 May, The Union celebrates the vital role nurses play in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) and lung disease, which is often undervalued.

  International Nurses Day 2024 aims to reshape perceptions of nursing, demonstrating how strategic investment in nursing can…

• The Diagnostic CXR Atlas for Tuberculosis in Children: A Guide to Chest X-ray Interpretation (the Atlas) has been extensively revised, with the aim of assisting non-specialist healthcare workers in high tuberculosis (TB)-burden settings to interpret chest x-rays…

• During the COVID-19 pandemic, people with tuberculosis (TB) struggled to receive essential care and treatment in India. To mitigate future hardships and access issues, The Union is leading a project to reduce the burden of continuing TB care during difficult periods, like the…

• To make sure that the delivery model was fit for purpose, The Union’s project team considered:

  the key priorities for people with TB and healthcare professionals the resource requirements of 3-D TB Care the TB situation in India

  Through this process, the team…

• The project places a strong emphasis on engaging communities and enhancing their preparedness for future pandemics, with a focus on addressing TB-related challenges.

  The Union, alongside the delivery partner, is now engaging with local communities. At village level…

• To support healthcare workers in Vietnam to diagnose and care for children with tuberculosis (TB), The Union’s Diagnostic CXR Atlas for Tuberculosis in Children: A Guide to Chest X-ray Interpretation (the Atlas) has been translated into Vietnamese.

  The Atlas…

• The Union is leading a study to improve the retention of people during TB preventive treatment in India, Bhutan, Indonesia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

  The Comprehensive Strategy for Retention in TB Infection Cascade of Care (CRITIC) Study will determine the effectiveness of…

• Funds raised by the American Friends will directly support the activities of The Union, including:

  International conferences, attracting researchers, advocates and scientists from across the globe Three journals, disseminating the latest knowledge in lung health A…

• Your donation will support The Union to achieve it's vision – a healthier world for all, free of tuberculosis and lung disease.

  Please use our online donation form or send donations to:

  American Friends of The Union 1441 Matthew Circle Estes Park, CO…

• The Union has been certified by NGOsource to be equivalent to a U.S. public charity.

Free Online Course on CXR Interpretation for Child Tuberculosis Diagnosis

The Union in Myanmar, in collaboration with national health partners, has been awarded grants from the Global Fund for 2024-2026, signalling a renewed commitment to extending vital health initiatives in the country.