The Secretariat is happy to consider articles for publication on this website about anti-leprosy activities, including disability and development-related issues.
If you have some news, a story to share or an idea for an article, please contact ILEP by writing to: ilep@ilep.org.uk
Discover the real stories...
World TB Day 2010
Posted on 24 March 2010 by
Innovation is the upbeat theme for World TB Day on 24th March 2010. It is supported by a similarly optimistic slogan: ‘On the move against tuberculosis – innovate to celebrate’.
Those involved in the fight against tuberculosis have reason to celebrate. According to WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Control: A Short Update to the 2009 Report globally, the case detection rate in 2008 reached 61%. This represents a significant increase compared to detection rates observed earlier in the decade. However, it is still short of the 2008 target of 71%. At the same time, a treatment success rate of 87% was reported among patients in the 2007 cohort – the first time the 85% treatment success indicator has been surpassed.
Among the challenges still to be met are the:
- early diagnosis and successful treatment of ALL tuberculosis cases;
- wide-scale implementation of programmatic multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) care; and
- improved co-ordination of TB and HIV services.
Lapses in good basic TB control, such as drug supply shortages, can have devastating consequences as revealed in an editorial published in the March issue of the International Journal Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.*
According to the World Health Organization, in 2008 9.4 million new cases of TB were registered. Among whom almost 50% had the classic symptom of a cough lasting over three weeks.
According to the Stop TB Partnership, it is only new and innovative ways forward, which will accelerate the fight against this disease which is killing almost two million people a year according to the Stop TB Partnership. In addition, more resources are urgently needed to turn scientific discoveries into new and better drugs, diagnostics and vaccines, for TB research and to meet the shortfall in the funding for the full implementation of the Global Plan to Stop TB (2006-2015).
Many ILEP Members are supporting anti-tuberculosis activities in various countries around the world, often in joint TB-leprosy programmes.
Information on the Stop TB website about World TB Day 2010:
http://www.stoptb.org/events/world_tb_day/2010/
WHO Global Tuberculosis Control: A Short Update to the 2009 Report:
http://www.who.int/tb/publications/global_report/2009/update/en/index.html
* Article Drug Supply Shortages in 2010: The Inexcusable Failure of Global Tuberculosis Control:
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/iuatld/ijtld/2010/00000014/00000003/art00001
DAHW Wir müssen handeln/DAHW We Must Take Action (in German):
http://www.dahw.de/presse/aktuelle-pressemitteilungen/tuberkulose-wir-muessen-handeln
Categories: International Collaboration, News and Notes