New data and findings from the largest WHO survey ever carried out on drug-resistant TB will be released:
11am TUESDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2008 (WASHINGTON DC)
The report is the first by WHO since extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) - a virtually untreatable form of tuberculosis - was documented as a public health threat.
Tuberculosis kills around one and a half million people a year and is second only to HIV/AIDS as the world's leading infectious killer.
This survey reports on the worldwide threat posed by forms of TB that have developed resistance to standard drugs in more than 80 countries.
'Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World' also charts the scale of the multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) problem and includes a list of countries reporting the highest recorded rates of drug resistance.
For the first time, the survey features analysis on XDR-TB, plus an updated list of countries with confirmed XDR-TB cases.
WASHINGTON DC NEWS CONFERENCE:
WHEN: 11am Tuesday, 26 February
SPEAKER: Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the Stop TB Dept, WHO
CHAIR: Honorable Donald Payne, Member of Congress, Chairman, Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health
WHERE: B-318 Rayburn House Office Building, US Congress
CONTACT:
Glenn Thomas thomasg@who.int, +41 79 509 0677
Nkechi Mbanu Nkechi.Mbanu@mail.house.gov, +1-202-225-3436
TELEPHONE NEWS CONFERENCE CALL
WHEN: 1pm Tuesday 26 February(Washington time)
WHO: Dr Mario Raviglione, Director, Stop TB Department, WHO & Abigail Wright, Principal author of the Report, Stop TB Department, WHO
HOW: Call 1-888-373-5705 (USA & Canada); +1-719-457-3840 (international) CONTACT: Robyn Shepherd, rshepherd@results.org +1 202 783 4800 x120
Other contacts
GENEVA: Dr Paul Nunn, WHO Co ordinator, TB/HIV and TB Drug Resistance Unit Contact: Judith Mandelbaum-Schmid schmidj@who.int +41 79 254 6835
LONDON: Tuesday 26 February: Dr Ernesto Jaramillo, WHO TB Drug Resistance Team Leader Contact: Louise Holly louise@results-uk.org +44 77 3473 3176
BRUSSELS: Wednesday 27 February: Dr Paul Nunn, WHO Coordinator TB/HIV and TB Drug Resistance Unit Contact: Louise Baker bakerl@who.int +41 79 249 3519