Around 24.04 lakh TB patients were notified in 2019, registering 14 per cent increase over the previous year while the private sector saw an increase of around 35 per cent with 6.78 lakh tuberculosis patients notified, officials said. Launching the annual report, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan commended the collective efforts of all involved in the task, and said the government was committed to eliminating tuberculosis from the country by 2025, five years ahead of the global target.

GENEVA, 24 June 2020 – A new report released by the Global Fund today estimates that countries affected by HIV, tuberculosis and malaria urgently need US$28.5 billion to protect the extraordinary progress achieved in the fight against the three diseases in the past two decades.

The Stop TB Partnership announced the successful grantees under the Round 9 of the Challenge Facility for Civil Society 2020, which will support 31 organizations from 13 countries and six regions with grants ranging from USD 20 000 to USD 100 000,  for a total of USD 2,5 million.

COVID-19 is now a pandemic affecting 89,21,618 people; 4,66,850 confirmed deaths and has already spread to 216 countries globally on June 21, 2020. India is the fourth most heavily affected country worldwide behind the US, Brazil and Russia. As on June 21; 4,11,727 people are affected, 13,277 have died and many more are living with fear of COVID-19 disease and death in India. India is fighting a battle today against COVID-19. The battle has brought the country almost to a standstill leading to major medical, social and economic problems.

A series of articles from the Access to Medicine Foundation stress the urgent need for new “child-friendly” treatments for HIV, malaria and TB to end the burden these diseases have on children, especially with the looming impact of COVID-19 and emerging drug resistance.

A preference by Indonesians to seek initial care for tuberculosis (TB) at private clinics rather than public facilities is resulting in diagnostic delays and escalated costs, says a new study. 

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

18 June 2020, Geneva | Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) are promising technologies for the rapid and accurate detection of TB and resistance to selected anti-TB agents. In December 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) will convene a Guidelines Development Group (GDG) meeting to update its diagnostic guidelines on the use of NAATs to detect TB and resistance to selected anti-TB agents. Ahead of this meeting, WHO will commission reviews of relevant evidence on diagnostic accuracy for several NAAT assays.

The latest survey results of Global Fund-supported programs across 106 countries show widespread disruptions to HIV, TB and malaria service delivery as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, impacting approximately three-quarters of HIV, TB and malaria programs.