A new initiative to combat tuberculosis (TB), an illness which claims the lives of over one million people each year, has recruited international celebrities in an effort to maintain awareness towards eradicating the disease, the United Nations health agency announced today.

New cases of tuberculosis (TB) decreased by nearly 5% last year compared to 2009, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said.

The Global Fund has introduced significant changes to the policies and procedures for grant renewals. The main impetus for these changes is the need to find savings to help fund future renewals, unsigned Round 10 grants and the new Transitional Funding Mechanism.

The Global Fund has established a Transitional Funding Mechanism to cover the costs of "essential prevention, treatment and/or care" services in countries whose grants will expire and that were counting on Round 11 (which has now been cancelled). What constitutes "essential" services has not yet been defined.

Organisations and individuals are being urged to sign a Call for Action demanding that the Global Fund and its Board mobilise $2 billion from donors by July 2012 to create a new funding opportunity in 2012.

The XVI International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2011) opened on Sunday 4 December in Addis Ababa. Delegates from across the world are convening in Ethiopia to discuss the HIV-related challenges faced by Africa, as well as future strategies for consolidation and development of national AIDS responses.

Here is the STOP TB response to this letter by activists on its future governance. 

The death rate in South Africa, particularly among young adults, is on the decrease, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

Colorado State University researchers say they have discovered an enzyme that could help in the treatment of tuberculosis, one of the world's most deadly diseases.

A collection of materials on TB/HIV:
http://stoptb.org/getinvolved/resmob/advocacynetwork/tbhiv.asp