‘Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis: Old Disease, New Threat’ identifies the main challenges facing the UK and the world and outlines a series of recommendations for swift action where the biggest impact can be made.

The report highlights concerns about drug-resistant TB  (DR-TB). Both developed and developing countries are witnessing a rise in DR-TB. Fifteen of the 27 highest burden countries are in the WHO European region, while in the UK DR-TB has doubled in the last decade. This is of great concern, not only because DR-TB is much more difficult to treat but also because, compared to ‘normal’ TB, it is much more expensive. The reports highlights that:

In the UK, treating a single case of DR-TB is at least £50,000 and in developing countries it can cost close to £6,000. This is compared to £5,000 (UK) and £15 (developing countries) for ‘normal’ TB cases.

In the report’s foreward, Andrew George MP (Chair of the APPG TB) made note of the fact that many consider TB to be a disease that has been consigned to the history books. The report reinforces the message that this is not the case. As Andrew George MP goes on to say:

The fight against TB needs a new sense of urgency and innovation; combined with sufficient funding – both in the UK and internationally – if we are to effectively tackle the ‘TB time bomb’.

Now is not the time to loosen the reigns in the fight against TB. We must do all we can to ensure that 1.4 million people per year do not continue to die of this preventable and treatable disease. In the report MPs make a number of recommendations to the UK Government which include calling for;

• A comprehensive strategy to combat TB in the UK;
• At least a doubling of the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria to address the threat of DR-TB in low- and middle-income countries;
• Continued investment in TB research and development (R&D) into new drugs, diagnostics and vaccines.

Visionary political leadership and increased investments into TB control programmes are exactly what is needed to fight the disease and tackle DR-TB; the report makes this clear. We hope the UK Government and leaders worldwide take note and do all they can to help save millions of lives.

We urge to you read the report. You can access the summary version here and the full version here.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria has saved 8.7 million lives since it’s establishment in 2002. However, unless world leader make new commitments to replenish the Global Fund this year any gains made to date risk being reversed.

In the past decade, enough progress has been made in the fight against tuberculosis (TB) that makes us believe that an end to TB is possible in our lifetime. Much of this progress can be directly attributed to the Global Fund and the unprecedented support it has received from governments, foundations and private sector donors. Since 2002, it has dramatically changed the trajectory of TB in low-­‐ and middle-­‐income countries and has helped detect and treat 9.7 million new cases of infectious TB in the past ten years aloneii.

Despite this progress, TB remains a leading cause of death from infectious disease globally, second only to AIDS. In 2011, over 8 million people fell ill with TB, there were 1 million cases among people living with HIV and 1.4 million deathsiii.

These shocking figures are exacerbated by the fact that more and more people are being diagnosed with multi-­‐drug resistant TB (MDR-­‐TB) and, in some cases, extensively-­‐drug resistant TB (XDR-­‐TB). While standard TB can be treated relatively easily and cheaply, MDR-­‐TB treatment is toxic for the patient and can cost more than hundred times the standard amount. If we fail to act urgently we face the prospect of astronomical and unaffordable costs treating MDR-­‐TB, turning a curable disease into a death sentence for millions.

Increasing global mobility means that TB is something that affects us all and is our collective responsibility to fight. As Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, states, “we have seen the importation into the UK of resistant strains of TB”. Indeed, in the UK, 8.4% of TB cases are resistant to a first line drugiv, while London has the highest TB rates of any capital city in Western Europev. We support her recommendations that drug resistance be taken seriously by politicians at an international level, including at the G8 and World Health Organisation (WHO).

One of the most effective ways of tackling TB is through financial support of the Global Fund. The Fund channels more than 80% of global aid funding for the detection and treatment of TB. Alongside its confirmed impact in saving lives, it been rated as a highly cost-­‐effective mechanism in a number of donor governments’ aid reviews, including the UK’s own. It is essential in the fight against the disease. Historically, the UK Government has been a leading example in meeting its pledges to the Global Fund on time and in full.

On World TB Day, 24th March 2013, we praise the UK Government for its continued commitment to the Global Fund. With a rising aid budget there are few better places to invest that have such high impact abroad that also benefit the UK.

We call on the UK Government to at least double its financial contributions to the Global Fund and leverage its leadership on smart aid spending to urge other donors to similarly increase their support for the Global Fund’s replenishment efforts throughout 2013.

World TB Day, 24th March, is in less than a fortnight and with that in mind here is a run down of events marking the day in the UK. If there’s any event we’ve missed please don’t hesitate to contact bruce.warwick@results.org.uk and let us know!

Wednesday 20th March: ‘They Go to Die’ film screening, Ritzy Cinema, Brixton, 6.30pm

‘They Go to Die’ is a new hard hitting global health documentary investigating the life of four former migrant gold mineworkers in Southern Africa and Swaziland who have contracted drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) and HIV while working at the gold mine. Following the film there will be a Q&A session with film maker and Yale epidemiologist, Jonathan Smith. To register your interest for this event please contact tom.maguire@results.org.uk

Friday 22nd March: ‘They Go to Die’ film screening, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 6.30pm

The second showing of this documentary promises to be an engaging event. Following the film there will be a panel session, ‘Escaping the silos: the importance of collaboration in tackling today’s global health challenges’. This event will feature speakers: Lord Paul Boateng; Jonathan Smith, Yale epidemiologist; Dr Stephen Lawn, Reader in Infectious Diseases at LSHTM; Aaron Oxley, Executive Director of RESULTS UK and Andrew Jack, Health and Pharmaceuticals correspondent at the Financial Times. To register your interest for this event please contact tom.maguire@results.org.uk

Friday 22nd March: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine World TB Day Symposium: ‘Global Epidemic, Local Solutions’, Wellcome Collection, 9.00am.

UCL marks this year’s World TB Day with an event run in conjunction with The Lancet Infectious Diseases and presenting a series of articles edited by Professor Ali Zumla, UCL Centre for Clinical Microbiology. This meeting will reflect the activity of UCL and its collaborators and attendees are invited to present a poster for display.

World TB Day 2012 was marked on the 24^th of March. With a backdrop of a funding crisis in the battle against TB, Michael Gwaba a TB-HIV Patient-Advocate speaks about his personal experience of the Global Fund.

A $1.7 billion funding shortfall to fight tuberculosis (TB) over the next five years means 3.4 million patients will go untreated and gains made against the disease will be reversed.  Over 80% of the external funding that is going into tuberculosis control comes from the Global Fund and the Global Fund is facing a funding crisis.

In the week leading up to World TB Day 2012, RESULTS UK welcomed Michael Gwaba a TB-HIV Patient-Advocate from Zambia.  In an interview with Reuters he discussed his personal experiences of the Global Fund.

“I have seen the Global Fund work – I’m alive thanks to its investments in Zambia. But right now we now risk reversing the gains we have made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. Millions of people are now on TB treatment, HIV positive mothers are now able to give birth to HIV negative babies and malaria death rates have declined because of the increase in use of tools such as insecticide treated mosquito nets. But without new investment fast, those still waiting for treatment and care won’t be as lucky as I have been.  We have done well in terms of providing treatment for people with TB because of the funds from the Global Fund.  Our present worry is that if the Global Fund is not funded, that is going to affect all the work we’ve done within the country.”

To read the full article please see –

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/03/23/us-tuberculosis-funding-idUKBRE82M00A20120323

Upcoming conference – regional meeting of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 4-6^th July 2012, London, UK.

The 6th Conference of The Union Europe Region will be taking place at Imperial College London.  It will focus on approaches to the control of tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases, as well as a wide range of other important issues, including lung disease caused by tobacco, child respiratory disease – and the contribution to the problem by pollution.

Venue: Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2AZ , United Kingdom

Registration rates: 5 and 6 July

Union member: £350

Non-Union delegate: £400

Student/nurse: £225

One day only rate: £225

4 July Postgraduate course for students: £125

For further details:

Web: https://www.hpa-events.org.uk/hpa/frontend/reg/thome.csp?pageID=56137&eventID=125&eventID=125

Email: events@hpa.org.uk

APPG on Global TB Breakfast Reception

Women, Communities and Tuberculosis
15th December, 9:15 – 11am, Westminster

Breakfast, tea and coffee will be served at the reception.
Images from Target TB’s ‘Hope: Stories from India’ will be on display and
materials highlighting this important issue will be available.

At around 9:30 attendees will hear from speakers including:

Grace Mukasa, Chief Executive of AMREF UK
Dr Antima Gupta, Fellow, UNESCO-L’Oreal For Women in Science
Programme 2010, Birkbeck, University of London
Andrew Jack, Financial Times journalist – invited
Nichola Cadge, Health Advisor, DFID

If you are able to attend please RSVP to mike.smith@results.org.uk

About TB and Women:
TB is a major cause of death among women in the developing world and particularly women of childbearing age. TB infection places pregnant women and their babies at a far greater risk. Sick mothers are more likely to pass on the disease to their children and when a woman becomes too sick to look her children, they are often forced to leave school to care for her.

Women also face greater barriers than men in accessing TB services. The stigma surrounding tuberculosis means that many women are unable or unwilling to seek treatment. If a wife discloses that she has TB she is often forced by her husband to leave the family home. Reduced access to economic resources and education also mean that women in many low income countries are less able to access TB screening and treatment.

Today on World AIDS Day, millions of people living with HIV/AIDS are at risk of dying of tuberculosis, the world’s leading killer of people living with HIV. Despite all the gains achieved in the last twenty years through education and awareness, drug research and development of more effective ARV therapies, thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS continue to die from TB.

The UK Coalition to Stop TB with the UK Stop AIDS Campaign have today published an Open Letter in the Guardian Newspaper highlighting that we cannot effectively tackle deaths of people with HIV without also addressing those dying from TB. What is needed is the political will to help combat this dual epidemic on all fronts.

Please click here to read the full letter.

To view the flyer, click here.

Suitable for nurses involved in TB management, general practitioners, hospital physicians, microbiologists, public health doctors and anyone else involved in the care of TB patients and their families.

Royal College of Physicians approved.  5 CPD credits

To view the flyer, click here.

The Steering Group of the UK Coalition to Stop TB has now been formed and conducted their first meeting on 12 August 2010. During the first meeting a structural shake up of the Coalition took place whereby the working groups have now been disbanded and will be replaced by focal contacts for the key themes of: HIV-TB; TB in the UK; Resource Mobilisation; New Tools and Research with the purpose of forming ad Hoc ‘taskforces to tackle key activities coming up in the next few months. The Steering Group is currently in the process of developing a strategic work plan for the next six months (to May 2011), and will be introducing themselves, the strategic objectives and new work plan to members at the next quarterly meeting on 6 October 2010.

Steering Group members as of August 2010:
• Becky Owens (Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation)
• Mike Smith (APPG on Global TB)
• Aparna Barua (RESULTS UK) – vice Chair
• Morris Lab (Target TB) – Chair
• Mike Mandelbaum (TB Alert)
• Dr. Vanessa Graham (Individual)
• Kieron Hardman (Genus Pharmaceuticals Ltd)

For further information please contact the Coalition secretariat through aparna.barua@results.org.uk