In this post in the PLoS "Speaking of Medicine" blog, guest blogger Christian Lienhardt, senior scientific adviser at the Stop TB Partnership and WHO, "discusses the International Roadmap for Tuberculosis (TB) Research, a framework outlining priority areas for investment in TB research." He writes, "The tools available for TB control are old, lack effectiveness, and are not readily accessible in many settings," adding, "Fortunately there is hope, thanks to notable progress in the development of new tools for TB control over the last decade," such as "the recent introduction of Xpert MTB/RIF -- a DNA-based molecular assay that can diagnose TB and the presence of rifampicin-resistance in 100 minutes" (1/26).

Addressing TB Prevention, Treatment Among Migrant Populations

In this post on USAID's "IMPACTblog," Christina Lau, USAID health officer for Central Asia, discusses tackling tuberculosis (TB) in migrant populations, writing, "Most migrants are unable to access the health care system because they are undocumented laborers, who lack proper identification documents required for health care treatment, and who fear deportation if their documentation status becomes known." She notes, "USAID is working in coalition with government and international partners in order to improve access to TB services and treatment for this crucial population" (1/26).

Cote d'Ivoire Abandoning Free Health Care Scheme Due To Cost, Mismanagement

IRIN reports that Cote d'Ivoire is abandoning its free health care for all scheme after a period of nine months, noting, "Theft, poor management and rising costs have made the service -- introduced by President Alassane Ouattara's government at the end of civil conflict to ease a dire public health situation -- unaffordable." According to the news service, "As of February, the free service will only be available to mothers and their children," meaning "free care for deliveries and free treatment for diseases affecting children under six years old."

Two Initiatives Launched At WEF With Aim Of Ending New HIV Infections Among Children By 2015

"Two groundbreaking initiatives, aimed at realistically achieving the once-unthinkable goal of ending new HIV infections among children by the end of 2015, were launched simultaneously at the World Economic Forum's [WEF] Annual Conference in Davos" on Friday, according to a Business Leadership Council press release. "The Business Leadership Council for a Generation Born HIV Free was launched together with a Social Media Syndicate that is designed to reach billions of people around the world ... The Syndicate will evolve to focus on other U.N. Health Millennium Development Goals over the coming months," the press release states (1/27). "The Social Media Syndicate will coordinate the most influential, individual publishers on the Social Web to share messages and actions needed to welcome a 'Generation Born HIV Free' and to achieve all the health-related Millennium Development Goals," according to a press statement from UNAIDS and PEPFAR (1/27).

To see Partnership Description, click below:
English | French | Portuguese | View Member Companies

Producing innovative programming focusing on PMTCT workshop

In early November more than 40 TV and radio program producers from 15 African countries gathered in Johannesburg for a three day workshop on producing innovative programming focusing on PMTCT. The workshop, organized by the African Broadcast Media Partnership (ABMP)—a pan-African coalition of more than 60 African broadcast companies committing significant airtime and production resources in the fight against HIV/AIDS—focused on developing innovative approaches to broadcast programming promoting access to services for Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The workshop is part of a year-long broadcast media campaign launched by the ABMP last August designed to increase public awareness of PMTCT and to encourage broader community support for HIV positive women who are pregnant. The campaign is anchored by a series of television and radio ads, reinforced by longer form programming produced by local broadcasters. With the support of C-Change/USAID the ABMP developed a series of programming manuals to help broadcasters produce informative and entertaining programming on the topic of PMTCT and related issues such as partner support, stigma and traditional attitudes to child bearing and birth.

The training workshop was organized with the support of AusAid, UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO.
(Click on thumbnails to view larger image)

TIME FOR A NEW CAMPAIGN, NEW FOCUS AND NEW PASSION MAKE IT POSSIBLE. IT BEGINS WITH YOU!

The ABMP has launched a fresh 12-month TV and radio campaign (August 2010 – August 2011) focusing on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. The ABMP’s campaign is part of a worldwide effort to achieve universal access to PMTCT services and to end HIV infection in babies by 2015. It is achievable. Today, the risks of HIV transmission from mother to child can be virtually eliminated if the mother follows the correct PMTCT protocol.

To learn more, click here
To access the full report on the PMTCT Strategic Vision (2010–2015), click here

The ABMP ads focus on:

increasing awareness of PMTCT and its effectiveness in reducing HIV infection in babies;
encouraging pregnant women to test early for HIV and to register for PMTCT if necessary;
reducing stigma by underscoring that pregnant women need support from family and community in accessing PMTCT services;
promoting collective responsibility for achieving the goal of an end to HIV infection in babies (Make it Possible: It Begins with YOU!).

To view the television ads, click here.
To listen to the radio ads, click here.
To view the programme guides, click here.

PMTCT Study Shows Few Infants Get Protective Drug

"In parts of Africa, only about half of babies born to mothers with HIV receive the HIV prevention drug nevirapine," according to a study published July 21, 2010 by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). The HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report writes that the study, which was part of an HIV/AIDS theme issue in JAMA to coincide with the International AIDS Conference-AIDS 2010, "highlights the need to expand global programs designed to prevent HIV/AIDS in newborns. It also points to the need to incorporate ongoing monitoring and quality improvements into all nevirapine-based care programs, the study authors concluded." Read more here.

To see JAMA study, click here.
For WHO international guidelines for use of antiretroviral drugs, go here
To read WHO press release, click here.

New Radio Programming Guides for Radio Producers

A new HIV/AIDS programming guide for radio program producers is now available. Designed to provide ideas about longer form programs such as talk shows, documentaries, news and magazine programs that expand the key themes of the YOU campaign, the guide follows the unfolding saga of the mini radio drama series Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? The series, now in its second year, follows the daily lives of a group of twenty-somethings as they navigate their way through the challenges of early adulthood. The current series focus specifically on themes of gender equity, stigma reduction, HIV-testing, and multiple concurrent partnerships.
To access the Programming Guide, click here
To hear episodes of Can Tru Luv Withstand the Test? click here