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Study of patients’ perceptions leads to stronger TB-HIV services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
The Health Services Department of the City of Bulawayo in Zimbabwe considers providing high-quality HIV and TB services a top priority and used a survey of patients' perceptions to help them develop these services further.
Dr Zanele Hwalima of the City…
In huge win for tobacco control, Batsa loses appeal on South African advertising ban
- The Supreme Court of South Africa dismissed an appeal brought by British American Tobacco South Africa (Batsa) on 20 June 2012. The appeal sought to overrule sections of the country's 1993 Tobacco Products Control Act that ban tobacco advertising. The dismissal constitutes a…
Vietnam enacts comprehensive tobacco control law
- One of the top 15 tobacco-using countries in the world has taken a stand for tobacco control. The Vietnam National Assembly passed the nation's first comprehensive tobacco control legislation on Monday, 18 June 2012. The new law will come into force on 1 May 2013. The Union has…
Training the trainers course disseminates knowledge about managing child TB
A child TB "Training of Trainers" course was recently held in Stellenbosch, South Africa for representative from the national tuberculosis programmes (NTPs) of 12 African countries. The course focused on how to train staff to implement and evaluate child TB activities in the…
New use of a “forgotten” technique aids TB treatment monitoring in Bangladesh
For patients with increased risk of treatment failure or relapse, TB treatment monitoring is critical to provide early recognition of developing problems and adaptation of the treatment. However, in many low-income countries, it is not feasible to perform drug susceptibility…
Mandalay lab offers high-tech diagnostic services with The Union’s support
Funding for the equipment, renovations and training has come from grants to The Union's IHC Programme from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (The Global Fund) and the Fondation Merieux.
A fully automatic CD4 machine was installed in October;…
First TB-diabetes bi-directional screening pilot project completed
A 12-month pilot project testing the implementation of bi-directional screening for tuberculosis (TB) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in China ended in May 2012. China is the first country to pilot and complete a bi-directional screening project within the routine…
Two years after repealing its smoking ban, Bulgaria adopts revised law
The Union has been working with The Bulgarian National Tobacco Control Coalition for more than a year to get the law reintroduced. In March 2011, following the repeal, The Union hosted an MPOWER course in Moscow, which was attended by officials from the…
New global tools for TB control: a new series in the IJTLD
New tools for global TB control: are we any closer? (editorial)
Diagnosis of tuberculosis and drug resistance: what can new tools bring us? (article)
Key outcomes on Rio+20
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Registration and hotel booking for the Union World Conference are now open!
Registration is now open for the 43rd Union World Conference on Lung Health, which will be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 13-17 November 2012. The 5-day scientific programme will offer more than 100 symposia, post-graduate courses, workshops, plenary…
The Union defends governments from tobacco industry interference
- ‘Ever since 1998, when tobacco companies were forced to make their documents public, we have had a very good idea of the tactics tobacco companies use to manipulate governments and lie to the public about the harms of tobacco use,’ said Dr Ehsan Latif, Director of the…
First global target on non-communicable diseases demands a reduction in preventable deaths by 25% by 2025
The NCD Alliance, a global advocacy organization representing a network of more than 2,000 civil society organizations led a major lobbying campaign, and mobilized its network to ensure this target was secured. They now applaud world leaders for demonstrating political…
The Bangladesh tax system and income rises have made smoking more affordable
- The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Taxation in Bangladesh estimates that 57,000 deaths are attributed to tobacco use each year, about one in six of all deaths among Bangladeshis 30 years and older. In addition, tobacco-related illness and lost productivity equate to…
Using The Union’s ABC approach, BRAC’s project in Bangladesh sees 80% of TB patients quit smoking
- The ABC approach comes from The Union guide Smoking Cessation and Smokefree Environments for Tuberculosis Patients. BRAC's intervention is as follows: health care workers ask registered TB patients if they smoke and record their smoking status. Patients then receive 5-10 minutes…
“Eye-opening” new clinical TB-HIV course offered for the first time in Colombia
The intensive course, which was held in Bogotá from 11 to 13 April 2012, is specifically designed for clinicians who work in both TB and HIV care and are responsible for managing HIV-positive tuberculosis patients with serious complications. The curriculum…
New Article 5.3 Toolkit will help countries prevent industry interference
The Union Tookit for WHO FCTC Article 5.3: Guidance for Governments on Preventing Tobacco Industry Interference
Matt Allen
The Union’s toolkit for WHO FCTC Article 5.3 Toolkit step-by-step guidance on the key legislative and policy elements of a strategy to safeguard laws and policies from tobacco industry interference.
Failure to adopt targets will show world is not serious about tackling NCDs
- NCDs are responsible for 60% of all global deaths. They are the leading cause of death in most high-income countries (80%-90%), and also in most low-income and middle-income countries. In all settings, the burden of these conditions is growing. Ann Keeling, Chair…
PHOTO STORY: TB case finding in Myanmar
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Grantees receive awards at tobacco control conference
Prof Elif Dağli, head of the Turkish National Coalition on Tobacco and Health (SSUK) was awarded one of the Bloomberg Awards for Global Tobacco Control, recognising progress in the implementation of MPOWER measures. Prof Dağli received the Protect award in…
China draws on The Union’s experience in Africa to develop its TB-HIV plan
The difference in the magnitude of TB in relation to HIV could not be greater than it is between China and southern Africa where more than half of TB patients are infected with HIV compared to approximately 1% in China.
Nevertheless, the China Centre…
Silicosis is a continuing threat to Indian workers
Working in a safe, secure environment isn't a given in many places across India. For example, poor conditions in India's mines mean workers are regularly exposed to silica dust leading to silicosis, a chronic disease of the lungs. Unfortunately, for many poor…
New publications offer a way forward for childhood TB research
There is an urgent need for improved TB diagnostics in children, since current diagnostics are not taking into account the specific challenges of childhood TB. New diagnostic tools have been developed and endorsed by the World Health Organization, such as LED microscopy, line…
The Union/MSF test a modified operational research course in Nepal
Since 2010, The Union and Médecins Sans Frontières have been offering a three-module course in operational research that has proved highly successful. Thirty-four participants from Africa, Asia and Latin America have been through the three course offerings– with 95%…