Stop TB Partnership - Communiqué, No. 15

December 2001, issue of the Stop TB Communiqué

STOP TB COMMUNIQUE

Issue 15, December 2001

SEASONS GREETINGS TO ALL OUR PARTNERS
FROM EVERYONE AT STOP TB

1. NEWS FROM THE STOP TB PARTNERSHIP SECRETARIAT

Stop TB Partners' Forum

Wednesday 12 December 2001 marked the milestone of 50 days after the Stop TB Partners' Forum. We are pleased to announce that on that date the Washington Commitment had already been endorsed by over 50 Stop TB partners. Any additional endorsements are welcomed. Please disseminate the Washington Commitment widely and build further partnerships and support in the countdown to reaching the global targets to Stop TB.

The 50 day commitments made in Washington were:

All high-burden countries will finalize national plans to achieve the global targets for TB control;

All partners represented in this meeting will affirm their commitment to the Global Plan to Stop TB;

All partners will support the launch of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM).

We note that:

21 of the 22 High-TB-burden countries have finalized their national strategic plans to expand DOTS and achieve the global targets to Stop TB by 2005;

We have received over 50 endorsements of the Washington Commitment. The Global Plan is being finalized and printed, including an executive summary which will be disseminated widely;

The Transitional Working Group of the GFATM is meeting on 13-14 December.

Please refer to the formatted version of the Washington Commitment and the Report "Highlights: First Stop TB Partners' Forum"on the Stop TB Website (www.stoptb.org).

The Washington Commitment will be uploaded shortly in six languages: Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish, Arabic. Printed copies will be available at the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat.

Further information is available from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at mailto:stoptbinfo@who.int.

Global TB Drug Facility (GDF) /GDF/

New round of Applications

The Global TB Drug Facility (GDF) has opened a new round of applications for grants of first line anti-tuberculosis drugs from governments and non-governmental organizations in 2002. Countries and NGOs working in countries with a GNP under $3000 are eligible for support, provided they meet GDF conditions for support.

The Application Form is now available on the GDF website in English and French (www.stoptb.org/GDF/ ) and should be submitted to the Stop TB Partnership secretariat, for consideration by the GDF Technical Review Committee. Please refer to the application form and accompanying notes for information on eligibility and the terms/conditions of GDF support. Applications and supporting documentation can be submitted either electronically or via hard copy (see addresses below).

Direct Procurement

The GDF has also recently launched a direct procurement mechanism, which will enable eligible countries and organisations to purchase first-line TB drugs at GDF prices. For more information please consult the following web site www.stoptb.unwebbuy.org and log in as a visitor.

Four-drug fixed dose combination tablets

The (GDF) is now providing a new product to treat people with TB - the four-drug fixed dose combination (4FDC) tablet. The 4FDC contains the four drugs commonly used to treat people with TB in a single tablet - simplifying treatment for patients and health workers. The prices offered still allow for a full course of 6-8 months treatment using the 4FDC, for under US$10.00. National programmes may choose to use the new, much more convenient, 4 FDC with either 4 months of HR or 6 months of HE and still have a patient cost of less than US$10.00 for the full treatment. But that is not all. When programmes choose to use blister packing (and a large number of them do) this usually adds significantly to the cost of treatment. However the GDF has managed to obtain the cost of the full treatment for blisters below US$10.00 per patient.

The first order has already been placed - for Congo (Brazzaville) - and drugs will be in the country within the next month.

The manufacturers of the 4FDC, supplied through the GDF, have had their products approved for bioavailability through one of the two WHO appointed collaborating laboratories. In addition, one or more of the STOP TB partners has already approved the manufacturer through a document review and physical audit for GMP. Finally each shipment is examined and each batch is sent for independent laboratory analysis, before shipment. Quality and bioavailability is assured.

TB programmes may now choose which regimen and presentation meets their needs, knowing that all of the costs are very similar to one another and much lower than previous costs.

Further information is available from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at mailto:stoptbinfo@who.int and from gdf@who.int

Stop TB Co-ordinating Board

The next meeting of the Stop TB Co-ordinating Board will be held in Osaka, Japan, from 19-20 February 2002.

Further information is available from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat at mailto:stoptbinfo@who.int.

World TB Day 2002

World TB Day Theme Contest…and the winner is….

Stop TB is pleased to announce that Charles Patrick Raby of WHO's Western Pacific Regional Office (WPRO) has submitted the winning entry for World TB Day 2002: ‘Stop TB to fight poverty!’ Mr. Raby’s entry was selected from nearly 130 submitted entries.

Mr. Raby has been with WPRO since 1989 when he began as translator-reviser. Within a short period, Mr. Raby assumed overall management of the Translation and Publications Units. Recently, he took up the post of Public Information Officer, helping to ensure that informational materials developed meet the needs of target audiences in the Region. In his work, Mr Raby has often sought to bridge the gap between technical units and public information, regularly setting up "brainstorming sessions" with technical units to discuss project proposals for publications. He has worked closely with WPRO's STB Special Project in the area of advocacy and information.

World TB Day Materials

The planning materials for WTBD will be sent out shortly and can be downloaded from the Stop TB Website (/events/world_tb_day/2002/default.asp). World TB Day 2001 highlights are also now available from the Stop TB website at Guidelines for Social Mobilization: World TB Day 2001 Highlights

or in print from the Secretariat on demand.

Further information is available from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, at mailto:stoptbinfo@who.int.

Staff secondments and vacancies

The Stop TB Partnership Secretariat is currently seeking a Communications Adviser and a Campaigns Officer. For further details please see our website (Vacancies page). Further vacancies for an Information Manager and a Resource Mobilisation Officer will be posted in due course.

The WHO European Office has a vacancy for a Short-term Professional, to work on Tuberculosis, commencing 1 March 2002, and based in Copenhagen. The closing date for applications is 31 January 2002. Please send your CV to the personnel office at WHO EURO and quote: TB post in Copenhagen. Personnel Office, WHO Regional Office for Europe, Scherfigsvej 8, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark

WORKING GROUPS /wg/default.asp

DOTS Expansion Working Group

The Stop TB Newsletter on DOTS Expansion is now available and contains country profiles, patient stories, the latest news from the Partners’ Forum and information on the Global DOTS Expansion plan.

Global Working Group on TB among HIV-infected people /wg/TB_HIV/

1. Proposal development workshop for phased implementation of collaborative TB and HIV Programme activities

WHO (HQ and AFRO) is convening a joint proposal development workshop with technical partners, CDC-GAP and USAID which will take place on 11-15 February 2002, in Nairobi, Kenya. This is in line with the recommendations of the TB/HIV Working group in April 2001. This proposal development workshop will involve 4 countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania) where TB and HIV programme collaboration has not been formally implemented, and 3 other countries (Malawi, South Africa, Uganda) where there are ongoing pilot projects (ProTEST) evaluating the operational feasibility of TB and HIV programme collaboration. WHO and technical partners will act as brokers for funding of these proposals leading to phased implementation and scaling up of these activities.

2. First Draft of the Guidelines for phased implementation of collaborative TB and HIV activities.

The TB/HIV Secretariat has circulated the first draft of guidelines for phased implementation of collaborative TB and HIV activities prepared by Dr Nicola Hargreaves, ProTEST coordinator, Lilongwe, Malawi. The members of the Scientific Panel of the WG and some external reviewers were asked to provide their comments back to the TB/HIV Secretariat by early January in order to expedite finalization. An advanced draft version of the guidelines will be utilized as background document for the upcoming proposal development workshop.

3. Analysis on TB recurrence rate among HIV infected patients.

Results from several studies have not shown consistency with respect to the possibility that TB recurrence in HIV patients in Africa is significantly higher than non HIV-infected TB cases. Furthermore, there is no unanimity regarding the need for different first-line treatment options for HIV-related TB. Still, higher recurrence rates of TB in HIV positive patients are a cause of concern due to the impact that recurrent TB episodes might have on TB control. This may drive the need to consider new recommendations for TB control in high HIV prevalence settings.

The TB/HIV secretariat and selected members from the Global WG were asked to produce a status report on TB recurrence rate among HIV infected patients and recommendations for actions. A first draft is to be delivered by early March 2002 and a revised draft is to be presented at the meeting of the Global WG in Q2, 2002.

2. NEWS FROM PARTNERS /stop.TB.Partners/default.asp#Partners

New Partners

The Stop TB Partnership is pleased to welcome Refugee Trust International (RTI) as a new partner. RTI is a non-denominational organisation founded in 1989 which is devoted to the relief of hardship amongst refugee and displaced families. RTI has country offices in the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa and the Balkans. RTI also funds, under strategic alliance partnership arrangements, the operations of like-minded agencies. RTI has its Headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, Charity Number 9670. It receives donor funding from institutional donors including the UN, the Governments of Japan, Sweden, Canada and Ireland, and the European Union. Being firmly anchored in Irish society, RTI receives between 18 - 20% of its annual budgetary support from the Irish public. RTI is a full partner of the EU under the ECHO Partnership arrangements, and a partner organisation of the World Bank. RTI look forward to making a positive contribution to the Stop TB campaign and they intend to make Stop TB the lead thematic focus for its public awareness campaigns.

Please contact the Secretariat for further information on RTI and their work. (mailto:stoptbinfo@who.int).

3. CALENDAR OF EVENTS

/events/archive.asp

2002

Acid Fast Club, LSHTM January 11th. http://www.nibsc.ac.uk/afc/afc.html

Current Developments in Drug Discovery for Tuberculosis Bangalore, India, January 14-17. Register online at http://www.cdtb.astrazenecaindia.com/

IUATLD 24th Conference of the Middle East Region, Khartoum, Sudan, January 20-23

Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Tuberculosis Research in the Post Genome Era, Keystone Symposia, Taos, New Mexico, USA, January 25-30, For registration please call (USA): 1-800-253-0685

WPRO Technical Advisory Group meeting, Osaka, Japan, 16–20 February

Tb.net conference 2002: TB, HIV and the MEDIA, "Communicate before it is too late"

http://www.tb.net.np/tbnet_2002.html, Kathmandu, Nepal, February 22-24

7th Conference of the IUATLD North America Region

http://www.iuatld.org/html/r_middleeast.htm, Vancouver, Canada, February 28 - March 2

WORLD TB DAY, March 24 /events/world_tb_day/2001/default.asp

International Conference on Emerging Infectious Diseases

http://www.cdc.gov/iceid/, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, March 24-27

SGM Control of bacterial gene expression http://www.sgm.ac.uk/MTGPAGES/warwick02.htm
Warwick, UK, April 8-12

IUATLD Conference of the European Region http://www.iuatld.org/html/r_middleeast.htm
Bucarest, Roumania, April 17-20

12th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases http://www.escmid.org/preview.html?meetings.html
Milan, Italy, April 24-27 (Abstract deadline November 28th)

55th World Health Assembly, Switzerland

http://www.who.int/gb/, Geneva, Switzerland, May 2001

American Society for Microbiology (ASM) 102nd General Meeting http://www.asmusa.org/mtgsrc/gm2002prelimprogtoppage.htm
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, May 19-23

4^th World Congress on Tuberculosis

http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/tuberculosis/tbcongress Washington, D.C., USA, 3-5 June

IUATLD Conference of the African Region Durban, South Africa, June 10-14 (Programme to be announced)
ESM 23rd Annual Congress of the European Society of Mycobacteriology http://www.esm2002.com/
Dubrovnik, Croatia, June 23-27
1st FEMS Congress of European Microbiologists,
Ljubljana, Slovenia, June 29 - July 3 (Abstract deadline Dec 31st 2001)
6th International Meeting on Molecular Epidemiology and Evolutionary Genetics in Infectious Diseases Paris, France, July 24-27
The World of Microbes

http://www.iums-paris-2002.com/ Paris, France, July 27 - August 1

3rd European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health http://www.kit.de/tropical2002/
Lisbon, Portugal, September 8-12
12th European Respiratory Society

http://www.ersnet.org/2/2/2_2.asp Stockholm, Sweden, September 14-18 (Abstract deadline Feb 28th. incl. session on Cost-effectiveness of TB control)

42nd Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy http://www.icaac.org/ICAAC.asp San Diego, California, USA, September 27-30
IUATLD 33rd World Conference on Lung Health

http://www.iuatld2002.org/ Montreal, Canada, October 6-10

2003

13th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases http://www.escmid.org/preview.html?meetings.html
Glasgow, Scotland, UK, May 10-13

The Stop TB Communiqué is issued monthly by email to global partners in order to share information on progress in the global partnership movement to stop TB. Partners are invited to submit news items, progress updates, comments and suggestions to reynoldsk@who.org. Stop TB Partnership Secretariat, World Health Organization, 20 avenue Appia, CH-1211 Geneva 27. Visit the Stop TB website at www.stoptb.org. The site is sponsored by the American Lung Association www.lungusa.org. Stop TB is a partnership hosted by the World Health Organization www.who.int.

Throughout the Stop TB Communiqué, "DOTS" is used as a brand name in its broadest sense as an umbrella term for all DOTS-based strategies, including DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB and expanded strategies to address TB/HIV.

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