Feature Story

News highlights from the 38th World Lung Health Conference
UNAIDS is working in partnership with NAM to provide news reports on key scientific findings and other important developments from the 38th World Lung Health Conference, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa from 8-12 November.
NAM is a UK-based HIV information provider and is the publisher of the HIV information website www.aidsmap.com and the electronic newsletter HIV & AIDS Treatment in Practice.

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Global advocates march for TB investment

Around 5000 activists from around the world marched through Cape Town on Thursday, calling for greater global investment in TB research and programmes. The marchers, led by Zackie Achmat of the Treatment Action Campaign, delivered a petition to the organisers of the World Conference on Lung Health. Despite the fact that it is mostly preventable and treatable, TB remains the greatest cause of illness and death in people living with HIV. The marchers were calling attention to slow progress in research and development of new TB medicines and diagnostics -- there have been no new TB drugs for more than 40 years and the only test for TB, which is over 100 years old, is unreliable, especially in diagnosing TB in people living with HIV.

The theme for the conference, which opens in Cape Town today, is 'Confronting the challenges of HIV and multi-drug resistance in TB prevention and care'. The march was co-organised by Treatment Action Campaign, the AIDS Law Project, the AIDS and Rights Alliance of Southern Africa.

Major TB Conference focuses on HIV

More than 3,000 delegates are expected to attend the main annual conference on tuberculosis, which started Thursday in Cape Town, South Africa. This year’s theme for the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health is "Confronting the challenges of HIV and Multi-Drug Resistance in TB prevention and care”.  In addition to the focus on HIV, the conference will also deal with other key international lung health-related issues, such as tobacco control, child lung health and asthma. Read more