A long, long time ago, the BCG vaccine was approved for use against tuberculosis (TB), and it's still given to infants today. For generations, the vaccine has saved lives and prevented untold suffering. And yet TB still kills around 1.5 million people every year. The problem is that the BCG vaccine was the first—and the last—vaccine approved to prevent tuberculosis.

The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IJTLD) is the official publication of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union).

GENEVA, 09 December 2021 – Inequities have been widely acknowledged as barriers to achieving global and national goals and targets in HIV, TB and malaria programs. However, the magnitude and extent of underlying health inequalities have remained poorly documented and understood.

New TB funding trends report finds that funding for TB research in 2020 reached only US$915 million – less than half of investment needed to end TB.

Prioritising AIDS/advanced HIV disease and TB treatment in Unitaid’s Investment Plan and Strategic Framework for 2022-2026.

An article published in The Lancet Global Health estimated paediatric TB incidence and underreporting between 2013 and 2019 in countries representing more than 99% of the global TB burden.

A study of tuberculosis patients in six Jakarta hospitals has revealed up to 13 per cent of them had fungal lung infection – or aspergillosis – at the end of their treatment.

On 15 December 2021, the Global Coalition of TB Activists (GCTA) and partners will host a high-level event for the launch of Learnings, Best Practices and Challenges on TB Stigma, Discrimination and Human Rights report. The report follows the successful completion of a series of national, regional and global consultations.

-- The more recently a person has been diagnosed with TB, the more likely they are to die from COVID-19 if they are infected, a new study finds
-- A person diagnosed with TB within 30 days of Covid infection is 20 times more likely to die than a person without TB who catches Covid
-- Those with a more recent TB diagnosis are also twice as likely to die of Covid when compared to people who were diagnosed before the pandemic
-- Researchers believe the Covid and TB prevention measures should be combined by health officials

03 December 2021 | Geneva: Following review of the evidence and advice from the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) on Tuberculosis (TB) Diagnostics and Laboratory Strengthening, the World Health Organization (WHO) concludes that the Xpert MTB/RIF and Ultra cartridge performance on the GeneXpert 10-colour instrument was found to be comparable to that of the GeneXpert 6-colour instrument for detection of TB and rifampicin resistance. The current WHO recommendations for Xpert MTB/RIF and Ultra cartridge use on GeneXpert 6-colour instruments are also valid for their use on GeneXpert 10-colour instruments. Full details are provided in the WHO policy statement.