• News from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat
  - Dr J.W. Lee nominated to be WHO DG
  - World TB Day 2003
  - World Cup Cricket
  - Stop TB Image Library
  - TB & Poverty
  - Sequella Foundation looking for new name
• News from the Stop TB Working Groups
  - DOTS Plus
  - TB/HIV
• Calendar of  Events
• In Print

   Website access to information:

• Stop TB Secretariat (WHO, Geneva): http://www.stoptb.org
• Global Drug Facility for TB: /GDF/default.asp
• Strategy & Operations, Monitoring & Evaluation: http://www.who.int/gtb

News from the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat (web site)

Dr Jong Wook Lee was nominated today by the World Health Organization's Executive Board for the post of Director-General of the agency. The Director-General is WHO's chief technical and administrative officer and sets the policy for the Organization's international health work.

He has worked at WHO for 19 years in technical, managerial and policy positions, notably leading the fight against two of the greatest challenges to health and development: tuberculosis and vaccine preventable diseases of children. After heading the WHO Global Programme for Vaccines and Immunizations and serving as a Senior Policy Advisor, he became, in 2000, Director of the Stop TB programme, a coalition of more than 250 international partners including WHO member states, donors, non-governmental organizations, industry and foundations. Click HERE for full text. More information available from: www.stoptb.org. 

World TB Day 2003 - Focus on Patients Stories

The theme for 2003 is People with TB, and the slogan is "DOTS cured me - it will cure you too!" The theme is designed to focus attention on former and current TB patients. The idea is to use these patients to show to potential new patients that TB can be cured with DOTS and that anyone can contract TB, and by doing so reduce the social stigma associated with it. It also emphasizes the need to involve TB patients as advocates and active participants in TB control.

Former TB patients make the best advocates for TB control. Those who have suffered from TB and are now cured are living proof of the effectiveness of the DOTS treatment strategy. Their stories put a human face to the disease and help people to understand more about TB symptoms, treatment and prevention.

A powerful way to ensure that the voices of TB patients are heard is to gather their stories and use them as resource and advocacy tools. You can use people’s stories to illustrate key TB control messages by including them in presentations, providing them as case studies to the media, sharing them in your community and inviting TB patients themselves to speak about their experiences at meetings and other events.

The Stop TB Partnership Secretariat is calling for stories of patients who have sought diagnosis, received treatment and been cured. These stories will be posted on the Stop TB website and made available to TB partners, the media and the general public. We are looking for stories with a good human interest angle that represent a range of experiences and illustrate key TB control messages.

Guidelines for Collecting Patients’ Stories can be found at: /events/world_tb_day/2003/Patient_Profiles/default.asp

Stop TB in 2003 World Cup Cricket: "Hit TB for a 6!"

The Stop TB Partnership is set to launch a Stop TB message campaign aimed at audiences of the 2003 World Cup Cricket, which will be hosted by South Africa and held from February 8 - March 23. Kenya and Zimbabwe will also serve as venues for first-round matches. The campaign is being organized by the Stop TB Partnership Secretariat and Meropa Communications, a South African PR firm, with support from the National TB Programmes of India and South Africa. 

Called "Hit TB for a 6!", the campaign will involve television Public Service Announcements (PSAs) by leading cricketers, a series of PSAs aired by dozens of community radio stations covering the match play, wearing of Stop TB pins and other paraphernalia by tournament participants, discussion of Stop TB messages by radio and TV commentators, and numerous other activities. The campaign will concentrate on three basic messages: TB is curable, the cure is called DOTS, and the treatment is free at public health centers -- so if you have symptoms of the disease, get tested now.

This year's tournament offers a near-perfect audience for such a campaign, with six participating high-TB burden countries (Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Pakistan, South Africa and Zimbabwe) as well as teams representing three main TB donors (Canada, England and The Netherlands). In the sub-Continent especially -- where a third of all global TB cases are found -- cricket is hugely popular and public attention will be riveted to the media coverage of the event.

The Stop TB Image Library

Launched on January 23rd as part of the countdown to World TB Day, the Stop TB Image Library is a comprehensive and dynamic catalogue of images detailing the challenges and successes of the international fight against TB. Visit the library today at: http://www.stoptb.org - and click on Image Library on the left hand menu bar.

TB & Poverty

A TB and Poverty meeting was held on Friday 17 January in Geneva, and main summary of the findings and conclusions are outlined.

The conclusions of the "Systematic Analysis of TB and Poverty" and a proposal "Network for Action on TB and Poverty" were presented. Participants appreciated the scope and depth of the Systematic Analysis of TB and Poverty, especially the rigorous systematic analysis and appraisal of existing evidence using the Cochran Approach as a new tool. An executive summary will be developed (2 -3 page document) for the 2003 World TB Day events. 

There is general consensus that TB and Poverty work needs to be expanded and the findings operationalized. The main purpose of the network is the mainstreaming of pro-poor approaches (aiming at greater accessibility of the poor to DOTS) in the countries affected. The network will contribute to meeting the 2005 Stop TB targets for case detection and cure. A short concise proposal will be formulated before 1st March 2003 for a timely presentation to the Stop TB Coordinating Board later that month.  

HELP! Sequella Foundation needs a new name - contest announcement

In 1997, both the Sequella Global Tuberculosis Foundation and Sequella, Inc. were founded: one established as a non-profit foundation, the other as a biotechnology company. They shared a common name and the common mission of finding new vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tools to combat the global TB epidemic, with each tapping the resources and deploying the talents unique to its non-profit or commercial biotechnology sector. While sharing a name was logical at the time, the widespread recognition that each organization has attained has led to some confusion in distinguishing the two. Hence, the Sequella Global Tuberculosis Foundation is searching for a new name. And we need ideas from YOU – our colleagues, supporters, and friends who know our organization the best.

What are we looking for? Obviously we don’t know exactly, but we do know that we want a name with panache that evokes the spirit and goals of our organization. We would be interested to hear your suggestions. To get you started, Sequella’s own Sharon Rowland has come up with some fabulous thoughts that exemplify the creativity we are seeking:

AdAspira Global TB Foundation. Ad aspira is Latin for "towards breath", and incorporates both the nature of TB and the idea that Sequella is aspiring to conquer the disease.

SEETA Global TB Foundation. SEETA = Search, Educate, Evaluate, Translate, Assist, which illustrates the methods by which Sequella moves ideas from the bench to the clinic.

If you successfully rename the Foundation, you will receive several exciting rewards:

• creativity, like virtue, is its own reward (sorry);
• each time you hear or read about us, you will remember how fantastic and imaginative you are;
• you will be presented with a plaque bearing your name and the newly minted name of the Foundation;
• and as if that weren't enough (!), you will receive a lovely dinner and overnight accommodation for two at the delightful and famous Inn at Little Washington http://www.relaischateaux.com/site/us/FicheAdherent?RcCode=washington/ located in the rolling Virginia country side 96 kilometers south of Washington, DC (4 Stars, #1 in Washingtonian Magazine’s 100 Best Restaurants). If you are not in the DC area and do not want to make the trip, you can opt instead to receive the cash value of the dinner and stay, which is US$ 500.

We would like to submit as many ideas as possible to the Board of Directors for review on 15 February. A final decision will be made on 15 March. Please send your suggestions to info@sequellafoundation.org The new name will be announced on World TB Day 2003 /events/world_tb_day/2003/default.asp during a press conference being scheduled as part of the Foundation’s participation in the day’s activities. Please let us have your ideas; even if they are not fully formed, they may inspire a winner. We need your help!

Venue: Renaissance Seoul Hotel www.renaissance-seoul.com. A block of 100 rooms has been set aside at the special rate of US$ 167. Meals will be provided by the organizers.

Registration and hotel reservations: Please complete the hotel reservation form available online and send it to Ms Y.J. Kim (Fax: +82 2 565 5542; reservations@renaissance-seoul.com). Click here for the online form: /events/archive/DOTS_Plus_Hotel_Form_April03.pdf

Agenda and terms of reference: To be circulated shortly. Letters of invitation will be sent to last year’s participants and other interested parties.

Visas: A valid passport is required to enter the Republic of Korea. Please contact your nearest Korean embassy or travel agency for visa requirements. A letter of invitation is available on request from the meeting organizers in the Republic of Korea to assist participants who need to obtain visa or permission to attend. Please contact Dr J.W. Kwon, focal point for the meeting in Seoul at kjw9925@mohw.go.kr.

Since funds are limited, participants in a position to cover their own travel expenses are encouraged to do so. If financial support is needed, please let us know - send us an email to: dotsplus@who.int, and we will try to help.

Further information is available from the DOTS-Plus team at WHO headquarters dotsplus@who.int.

TB/HIV

a. Workshop on ProTEST lessons learned, 3–6 February 2003, Durban, South Africa

This meeting, which is now well advanced in its preparation thanks to inputs from the secretariat and collaboration from the South African Medical Research Council, is supported by the National Department of Health, CDC-GAP, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WHO.

b. Workshop on protocol development for phased implementation of joint TB/HIV activities for francophone countries, 3–7 March 2003, Dakar, Senegal

WHO/AFRO is taking the lead in the preparation of this important meeting, which aims to do for francophone Africa what the Nairobi meeting did for anglophone countries (plus one lusophone). For further details, please contact Dr Wilfred Nkhoma nkhomaw@whoafr.org.

c. Third meeting of the Working Group on TB/HIV, 3–5 June 2003, Geneva, Switzerland

This meeting is now planned for 3–5 June 2003 at WHO headquarters in Geneva, a change in dates necessitated by the preparations required for the STAG meeting at the end of June in Geneva. A central issue will be the increasing urgency to expand TB/HIV activities if the global targets for TB control are to be met.

Summary of working group activities

a. Contracts have been signed with Ethiopia, Malawi, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia for implementation of joint TB/HIV activities. Proposals from South Africa and Kenya are being developed, and one is expected from Uganda. Most of these proposals are in collaboration with TB/HIV activities supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), which were in turn initiated by the Nairobi workshop (Ethiopia, Malawi, Zambia); USAID (Ethiopia), Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and, potentially, the World Bank (Malawi) are supporting these initiatives. The outcome of the second round of GFATM proposals, which includes one from the United Republic of Tanzania, is awaited.

c. The WHO TB/HIV group held a brief strategic retreat with members of the DOTS Expansion group and Coordinator, TBS, on Friday 10 January 2003. A report of the retreat, the results of which will influence WHO’s activities in 2003 and beyond, will be available shortly.

• Monitoring mission to the NTP, Jakarta, Indonesia, January 27–7 February
• Workshop on ProTEST lessons learned, Durban, South Africa, 3–6 February
• Workshop on protocol development for phased implementation of joint TB/HIV activities for francophone countries, Dakar, Senegal, 3–7 March
• World TB Day 2003, 24 March /events/world_tb_day/2003/default.asp
• Stop TB Coordinating Board Meeting, Brasilia, Brazil, 3-5 April
• Tuberculosis Surveillance and Research (TSRU), Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania (will include a session on TB/HIV), 3–5 April
• Fourth meeting of the Working Group on DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB, Seoul, Republic of Korea, 24–26 April

In Print

- World TB Day 2003 material pack (still in production), will contain:
* Newsletter Issue No.8 "DOTS Expansion - Spreading the net... and mending the holes"
* Fact Sheets
* Poster/Calendar
* Sticker
* Questionnaire
* Form to order documents available in stock
[If you are not already receiving hard copy documents from us, you may order this pack from the CDS Information Resource Centre; fax: +41 22 791 4285; e-mail: cdsdoc@who.int)]

- Final report on a workshop to develop proposals for collaborative TB and HIV/AIDS programme activities, Nairobi, Kenya 11–15 February 2002 (document WHO/CDS/TB/2002.309 available from the CDS Information Resource Centre; fax: +41 22 791 4285; e-mail: cdsdoc@who.int).

- Informal Consultation on 4-Drug Fixed-Dose Combinations Compliant with the WHO Model List of Essential Drugs (document WHO/CDS/TB/2002.299 - TDR/TB/4FDC/02.1 available from the CDS Information Resource Centre; fax: +41 22 791 4285; e-mail: cdsdoc@who.int).

- Godfrey-Faussett et al. How human immunodeficiency virus voluntary testing can contribute to tuberculosis control. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 2002, 80(12):939–945. http://www.who.int/bulletin/pdf/2002/bul-12-E-2002/80(12)939-945.pdf.

- TB publications are also available at http://www.who.int/gtb/publications/TBCatalogue.htm.

 

'Stop TB' - a global movement to accelerate social and political action to stop the spread of tuberculosis around the world. For further information please contact the Stop TB Secretariat at: stoptbinfo@who.int