TBNET Academy: FREE fellowships grants

The 2nd TBNET Academy will take place in Chisinau, Moldova from May 19th to May 23rd, 2013.

The TBNET-Academy provides a forum for young clinicians and scientists in the field of TB to exchange ideas and to learn from each other under expert guidance and mentorship. Especially the 2nd TBNET-Academy in Chisinau will draw attention to the particular problems of TB control and treatment in high incidence countries by addressing local problems and learning from international and local experts.

More information:

Keynote lectures on:
Tuberculosis in Europe
TBNET: Collaborative Research in Europe
The future on TB treatment
Non tuberculous mycobacteria infections
Tb control and elimination
Special features:
How to prepare a research project?
How to get funded?
How to write a manuscript?

Opening of the photo exhibition „STOP TB! Tuberculosis - A worldwide menace“ 9th of November 2012

Today we are happy to present you special report from our friend Cordula from Take That TB organization about the opening of photo exhibition dedicated to Tuberculosis! We are highlighting today tuberculosis as one of the dangerous communicable disease, which can be prevented and treated with success!

Tuberculosis is a forgotten illness in Europe. In many other parts of the world this illness is still rife  and shows in connection with AIDS a menace for the world health.  
On the 9th of November 2012 the photo exhibition „STOP TB! Tuberculosis - A worldwide menace“  was opened. It was carried out in cooperation with the stop TB Partnership. 

The exhibition shows impressing photo reports from  photojournalists like Pulitzer prizewinner David Rochkind. They all have documented the situation of tuberculosis patients worldwide for several years. After an introductory talk of the epidemiologist Dr. Stefanie Castell of the Helmholtz centre Braunschweig that inspired the audience by its descriptiveness, possibilities of the fight against TB were discussed with a high-carat occupied panel discussion. During this panel discussion Dr. Peter Reff of the KfW developing bank said, ’It is a scandal that all 20 seconds a person must die because of a remediable illness like tuberculosis. Prof. Dr. Klaus Fleischer of the German leprosy and tuberculosis relief (DAHW) underlined that tuberculosis is above all a poverty illness. Mrs. Diekwisch of the pharmaceutical campaign BUKO and Mrs. Heykes-Uden of the tuberculosis advice centre of the region Hannover agreed that poverty fight, the improvement of the living conditions and access to education are most important components in the fight against tuberculosis.

The appearance of Cordula whose tuberculosis illness was not recognised in Germany more than 15 months by several doctors was very moving. The courageous young woman reported that many doctors did not recognise her illness for a long time and she also talked about unawareness about tuberculosis. Now the young woman fights together with the German leprosy and tuberculosis relief (DAHW) and with her own patient organization for a better understanding and knowledge of the illness in Germany. „ Such cases show us that we must fight for more awareness of tuberculosis in Germany, and our exhibition contributes an important part to it“, both curators Harro Schmidt and 
Dr. Matthias Stehr added.

The exhibition runs from November 10th to December 16th 2012 in the arts centre “Faust” in Hannover. 

Opening hours:
Thursdays + Friday 4pm - 8pm
Saturday + Sunday 2pm - 6pm

Photo exhibition at Hannover: STOP TB! Tuberculosis - A Global Threat

"STOP TB! Tuberculosis - A Global Threat. "Under this title, Kunsthalle Faust, Hannover cooperates with the Stop TB Partnership for the first time. A large selection of photos of the "Images to Stop Tuberculosis Photo Award 'in Europe following the successfully conducted, great photojournalism project (the Stop TB Partnership in Rio de Janeiro) will be shown by the work of five internationally renowned photographer Jean Chung, Sailendra Kharel, Riccardo Venturi, David Roch Child and David Orr. The photojournalists have documented the situation of TB patients worldwide.

Picture by Jean Chung

Showing more than 50 photographic works and four photo stories as a multimedia presentation, the large-size exhibits impressively show the suffering and the hope of the people who are affected by tuberculosis. In the exhibition, unique shots from different countries are shown, which are most affected by the disease, such as India, Nepal, Sudan and Brazil. The representation of a Sudanese boy who is cared for by his parents lovingly or moribund patients in an Indian hospital left a profound and lasting impressions. Other photographs show patients treated successfully and provide unique examples of the perseverance of the individual and the hope for a cure, despite serious illness.

Picture by Jean Chung

United Nations on World TB Day 2012

Today, we are happy to publish message from United Nations General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon on Tuberculosis!

For too long, tuberculosis has not received sufficient attention. The result of this neglect is needless suffering: in 2010 alone, nearly 9 million people fell ill with TB and 1.4 million died, with 95 per cent of these deaths occurring in developing countries. These numbers make tuberculosis the second top infectious killer of adults worldwide.
The impact reverberates far beyond the individuals directly affected. TB takes a heavy toll on families and communities. Millions of children have lost their parents. Children who are exposed to sick family members are at high risk of contracting the disease. Far too many go untreated, since TB is often difficult to diagnose and treat in children. That is why this year we should aim to expand awareness of how children are affected by the disease.
It is critical to support those who lack the means to respond with the care and treatment they need to enjoy healthy and productive lives.
With the right interventions, we can make a major difference. We know how to end all forms of TB, including multi-drug resistant TB - which has emerged in most countries - before it leads to severe manifestations that are costly to treat and cause additional suffering. Where we have taken strong and proven measures, the number of people falling ill with TB has declined markedly.
The World Health Organization reports that our concerted efforts have helped to cut death rates by 40 per cent since 1990. Forty-six million people have been cured and seven million lives have been saved since 1995 thanks to the efforts of the United Nations, governments, donors, civil society groups, private partners, public health experts, and tens of thousands of health workers and affected families and communities.
Now is the time to be even more ambitious and "Stop TB in our lifetime," the theme of this year's World TB Day.

I call for intensified global solidarity to ensure that all people are free from fear of tuberculosis and its devastating effects. Let us vow to end the neglect of TB and to end deaths from this disease in our lifetime.