Archive for February, 2008
The World Health Organization (WHO) published their largest survey ever on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) on Tuesday. In summary, MDR-TB is more prevalent, and more in need of control, than ever.
“TB drug resistance needs a frontal assault. If countries and the international community fail to address it aggressively now we will lose this battle,” said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Stop TB Department. “In addition to specifically confronting drug-resistant TB and saving lives, programmes worldwide must immediately improve their performance in diagnosing all TB cases rapidly and treating them until cured, which is the best way to prevent the development of drug resistance.”
Read the full study here, some key findings below:
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- The WHO estimates that there are nearly 500,000 new cases of MDR-TB each year, about 5% of the approximately 9 million new cases of regular TB per year
- The highest rates of MDR-TB were found in countries in the former Soviet Union and China. China and India carry about half the global burden of MDR-TB and the former Soviet states another 7%. Rwanda had a noticeably high percentage of MDR-TB cases among TB patients (3.9%), but data on MDR-TB presence in Africa was rather limited in the study.
- Extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), a virtually untreatable form of TB, has been recorded in 45 countries.
- Surveys in Latvia and the Ukraine found nearly twice the level of MDR-TB among TB patients living with HIV compared to those without. In South Africa, 44% of TB patients are estimated to be co-infected with HIV.
- MDR-TB and XDR-TB are progressively more expensive and difficult to treat.
The WHO estimates that $4.8 billion is needed for overall TB control in low and middle income countries in 2008, with $1 billion for MDR-TB and XDR-TB. There is a total finance gap for 2008 of $ 2.5 billion, including a $ 500 million gap for MDR-TB and XDR-TB.
We’ve received a lot of calls and emails from Jubilee supporters who have called during our Leap Into Action Call-In Days their senators and representatives about the Jubilee Act (S. 2166 and H.R.2634), which will soon to be considered in the House and Senate.
The Jubilee Act for Responsible Lending and Expanded Debt Cancellation will expand eligibility for 100 percent debt cancellation without harmful economic conditions to 67 impoverished countries in the Global South.
When you call your senators or representative, you’re calling on behalf of the millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa, South America and Asia who suffer when debt repayment must be prioritized over health care, education and clean water.
Every day, Sub-Saharan Africa sends $100,000 back to America in debt payments. Imagine what could be done with that money if it were to stay in those countries.
The call you make today is a part of a national campaign to pass the Jubilee Act within the 55 legislative days Congress has this year. This is the last and final session of Congress before the elections with most of the legislative days being frontloaded prior to June.
This tight deadline makes it even more imperative for ONE members and others to call their members of Congress and urge them to co-sponsor this bill.
Get the Call Script here.
More Information About the Jubilee Act here.
-Monet Cooper, Jubilee USA
There’s an important editorial in the LA Times today about drug-resistant tuberculosis.
A couple of excerpts:
“A new survey by the World Health Organization shows that drug-resistant tuberculosis is even more widespread than had been feared — on average, it’s present in 5% of new TB cases. That’s 500,000 drug-resistant cases a year. If most Americans aren’t concerned by this, it’s because they don’t yet understand that drug-resistant tuberculosis is no longer a disease that threatens mainly HIV and AIDS patients and the Third World poor. It threatens us all. Worldwide, only 8% of TB cases occur in HIV/AIDS patients…
Even after the panic last year caused by Andrew Speaker, the jet-setting honeymooner found to have MDR TB, funding to stop the disease has lagged. The WHO, which gets its money from United Nations member states, estimates it needs $4.8 billion for global TB control. But despite increases in funding from the U.S., Britain and private donors, it still faces a $2.5-billion shortfall.
You can read the full piece here.
Some of you may remember the posts earlier this year describing the work of teacher Matt Cone at Rock Bridge High School. Well, Matt continues to do amazing work with his students and this week the seniors in his Contemporary Issues class had the unique experience of talking with the First Lady via video conference.
Many of the questions posed dealt with the President and Mrs. Bush’s recent trip to Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the work that ONE and other NGOs are doing to help the world’s poor. As if talking to the First Lady was not cool enough, the students wore ONE shirts to emphasize their commitment to ending global poverty and disease.
Check out some of the student comments about the experience after the jump.
-Katie Andrews, Field Organizer (KS, OH, MI, MO, WV)
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(Congresswoman Nita Lowey is the Chairwoman of the House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee)
The ability of the U.S. Congress to set spending priorities for the federal government is among its most critical responsibilities. As Chair of the Appropriations State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, I have worked to support international development and treatment for diseases like AIDS, TB, and malaria and to reduce poverty and hunger. Helping those who are suffering is not only our moral responsibility, it helps to strengthen stability and engender goodwill around the world, which improve our national security.
The U.S. government agencies that lead our international assistance efforts must be efficient and effective. This week, I am holding two oversight hearings focused on the budget request that President Bush recently sent to Congress for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee will analyze these budget requests and assess these agencies’ successes and the challenges that they continue to face.
I thank you for your interest in international humanitarian and development assistance and hope you will continue to follow my subcommittee’s efforts to alleviate suffering around the world.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Nita Lowey
Feb 28th, 2008 1:53 PM UTC
By Field
ONE members are a bit like the US Postal Service; neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow can stop us! Even in the middle of a frigid winter in our snowy region, ONE members are taking action!
This edition of the ONE midwest newsletter features stories about ONE members reaching out to legislators, fellow students, community members, and even peers across the globe in Africa to make poverty history.
The”ONEwsletter” serves Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin ONE members as a place to share ideas, compare experiences, and inspire one another to take action in the fight against extreme poverty. Read the Midwest newsletter here
-Morgan Granata and Leise Grimmer, ONE volunteers, Illinois
(InterAction President & CEO Sam Worthington is visiting humanitarian workers in Sudan.)
The trip to Khartoum was a typical flight to Europe followed by another seven hours in the air, landing just south of the Sahara. A few key strokes of the customs agent’s computer and my American passport, with its appropriate visa, had a newÂ%C
