The medical imaging techniques, positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT), could help predict the effectiveness of antibiotic drug treatment for TB patients. Researchers at the US National Institutes of Health have shown how PET/CT imaging can demonstrate changes to tissue and organ functioning following antibiotic treatment, in both TB-infected monkeys and humans. Currently, cultures are used to […]
TB Alert partners receive global funding for TB training in prisons
TB Alert’s Zambian partner, Chichetekelo Outreach Partners (COP), recently received a grant of $20,000 from the Stop TB Partnership’s Challenge Facility for Civil Society. COP have used the funding to provide TB training for prison officers, from prisons across the Kabwe district, providing the latest knowledge on TB, the links between TB and HIV, and […]
Celebrating innovation in TB nursing
TB Alert is pleased to announce the launch of the first award of its kind to recognise the crucial role that TB Nurses provide in the UK towards TB care and control: The Sir John Crofton Prize for TB Nursing, sponsored by Oxford Immunotec. TB nurses are at the forefront of patient care in the […]
WHO launches guidelines on management of latent TB
The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued guidelines on testing, treating and managing latent TB infection (LTBI) in individuals with high risk of developing the disease. The new guidelines on the management of LTBI provide public health approach guidance on evidence-based practices for testing, treating and managing LTBI in infected individuals with the highest likelihood […]
How Burari beats off social stigma in the fight against TB
India’s Business Standard has reported on the success of TB Alert’s Burari program in addressing the social stigma, poor adherence to drug regimens and interrupted treatment that are contributing to the spread of TB. The Lilly MDR-TB partnership with TB Alert, under the guidance of the Central TB Division of India, is helping make TB […]
Civil society crucial to addressing TB in Europe
Progress in involving civil society to address the heavy burden of multi-drug resistant TB, across the European region, has not met targets according to a new report: Falling Short: A Civil Society Perspective of the Response to Multi and Extensively-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) in the European Region. The report, from The TB Europe Coalition and […]
A great leap for TB Alert
TB Alert would like to send a huge thanks to the lovely Chloe for completing a skydive to raise funds for TB Alert. After two false starts due to the weather, Chloe finally completed her jump on a beautiful sunny day. Despite her nerves she loved it! Chloe’s dad died of TB in early 2013 […]
WHO revises global TB estimate up by 500,000
The BBC reported the release of new World Health Organization statistics that have revised up the estimate of how many people have tuberculosis by almost 500,000. In 2013 nine million people around the world were reported to have developed TB, though the number of people dying from the illness continued to decline. About three million […]
Increased risk of TB as migrant access to healthcare is limited
The British public is being placed at increased risk from infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, as vulnerable migrants are discouraged from seeking healthcare. This warning has been set out in the report Do No Harm from the think tank Demos, which highlights the impact of anti-immigration rhetoric and the threat of NHS charging on migrant access […]
New TB drug wins top accolade
The first TB drug to be approved in 40 years was celebrated at the 2014 Prix Galien Awards this week. The Prix Galien recognises the contribution that new medicines make to the lives of people with life‐threatening conditions. London’s House of Commons played host to a glittering ceremony where the drug Sirturo® (bedaquiline), developed by […]