WHO, on behalf of the Global TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership and in collaboration with the Consortium to Respond Effectively to the AIDS/TB Epidemic (CREATE) is organizing the 7th CROI affiliated HIV/TB research meeting which will be held on Sunday 3 March 2013 between 11:30 and 13:30 at the Omni Hotel, CNN Center, in Atlanta, Georgia USA. The aim of the meeting is to promote high level scientific interchange of ideas and research priorities about specific issues related TB prevention as well as drug interactions between new TB drugs and ART.

WHO's approach to detection of tuberculosis relies on microscopic examination of several sputum smears. Despite advances in rapid diagnostics, resource restrictions mean that the present WHO approach will probably remain for some time.However, the sensitivity of smear microscopy is significantly lower than the target case-detection rate of 70%. Optimisation of sputum-smear microscopy has been recognised as a priority. In The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Lucian Davis and colleagues assess strategies incorporating same-day microscopy, which is an attractive idea with the potential to greatly improve diagnostic services.

“Our worst enemy is success. We don’t handle success well. We handle crisis well.”

Tuberculosis (TB) cases spiked in Malaysia last year with 4, 426 cases compared to the 3, 794 cases in the previous year.

Public Health Action is an open access journal, in electronic format only. It provides a platform for the Union's mission 'Health solutions for the poor'. The journal addresses the clear need for show-casing operational research that addresses issues in health systems and services. It publishes high-quality scientific research that provides new knowledge to improve access, equity, quality and efficiency of health systems and services.

According to a study a case of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) costs South Africa about $26 392 (R234 516.67) to treat, which is four times that of drug resistant TB, which costs $6 772, and a 103 times more than drug sensitive TB, which costs $257.

While the immediate causes of tuberculosis drug shortages in United States differ from the causes of drug shortages in resource poor settings where disease burdens are higher, the origins and consequences end up being similar.

It is well known that COPD patients run a higher risk of contracting respiratory infections. However, a new thesis from Lund University in Sweden shows that they are also at higher risk of other bacterial infections, such as tuberculosis (TB) and pneumococcal and staphylococcal infections that can cause serious illness.

An international handbook for nongovernmental organizations and civil society organizations

Following a technical consultation held between the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, in September 2008 on strategies, approaches and partnerships that could be implemented to improve laboratory biosafety worldwide, an Expert Group meeting was convened at WHO’s Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, in April 2009 to elaborate guidance on biosafety related to laboratory procedures for diagnosing
tuberculosis (TB). The purpose of the meeting was to reach consensus on the basic principles of laboratory practices and design necessary to establish minimum criteria to ensure biosafety during TB microscopy, culture, drug-susceptibility testing (DST) and molecular testing in different countries and epidemiological settings.