One million lives can be saved between now and the end of 2015 by preventing and treating Tuberculosis among people living with HIV
June 2011 | Geneva | A new epidemiological model, developed by WHO, UNAIDS and the Stop TB Partnership, shows it is possible to reduce HIV/AIDS deaths impressively through tuberculosis (TB) prevention and treatment. In 2009 almost one in four deaths among people living with HIV were due to TB, a disease that is both curable and preventable.
Ms Peng Liyuan is appointed WHO Goodwill Ambassador
On 3 June 2011, WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan appointed the famous Chinese soprano and actress Peng Liyuan as WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.
Xpert MTB/RIF - rapid TB test - WHO publishes policy and guidance for implementers
WHO Stop TB Department has issued a Policy Statement and further information on the new rapid TB test that was endorsed by WHO in December 2010.
The rapid, fully-automated NAAT (nucleic acid amplification test) - also known as Xpert MTB/RIF assay - has been described as a major breakthrough in TB care and control. The table-top device can dramatically cut the time it takes to provide an accurate diagnosis of TB and rifampicin resistance for many patients - from up to three months to less than two hours.
HIGHLIGHTS
-
Towards universal access to diagnosis and treatment of multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis by 2015
-
Tuberculosis prevalence surveys: a handbook
-
Guidelines for intensified tuberculosis case-finding and isoniazid preventive therapy for people living with HIV in resource-constrained settings
Tuberculosis (TB) is an airborne infectious disease that is preventable and curable. WHO is working to dramatically reduce the burden of TB, and halve TB deaths and prevalence by 2015, through its Stop TB Strategy and supporting the Global Plan to Stop TB.
