Stop TB Canada Newsletter

January 2025 Newsletter

NEW REPORT: Access to Essential TB Medicines in Canada

Stop TB Canada’s new report, Access to Essential Tuberculosis Medicines in Canada: Insights from a National Survey of Healthcare Providers, uncovers alarming gaps in accessing TB medicines, including a lack of pediatric formulations, recurring drug shortages, and difficulties obtaining drugs that are not marketed in Canada. These issues delay treatment, increase hospitalization, and undermine the quality of care, putting patients at greater risk for complications and poor outcomes.

Read the report to learn more about these findings and Stop TB Canada’s recommendations to address existing barriers to equitable access.

Help us amplify the report by using this social media toolkit.

Join our National Call to share your World TB Day plans

World TB Day is coming up, which means it’s time to start planning! Join Stop TB Canada’s National Call on February 20th to get the ball rolling. This is a chance for the TB community to connect, share updates, and highlight initiatives to raise awareness and drive action to end TB.

Be part of the conversation and help shape this year’s World TB Day efforts.

Register now.

Help us shine a light on tuberculosis this World TB Day

TB is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, but it doesn’t get the attention it needs. On March 24th, join Stop TB Canada and our partners in lighting landmarks red to raise awareness and spark conversations about the urgent need to end TB.

This simple act sends a powerful message: it’s time to prioritize TB as a public health issue.

Learn how you can get involved and request a landmark lighting in your community.

Unite to #EndTB Event in Toronto

For World TB Day on March 24th, Results Canada is coming to Toronto! We’re hosting an event open to all where participants will learn about TB and the steps that they can take as advocates to generate the political will to end it. The event will end with a gathering at a local monument lit in red where we can unite to shine a spotlight on this issue!

If you’re in or around the GTA, mark your calendars now!

Date: March 24, 2025
Time: 6-8pm
Location: Downtown Toronto (details to come!)
Cost: Free

Interested in attending? Sign up here to receive updates.

Publication spotlight

Tina Campbell: From Diagnosis to Advocacy

Tina Campbell, co-chair of Stop TB Canada, turned her experience into action, becoming a passionate advocate for TB awareness and culturally sensitive care in Saskatchewan. Today, she’s leading the charge in the fight against TB. Read more.

Tuberculosis in Ontario: Epidemiological summary 2019-2024

Public Health Ontario posts quarterly TB data for the province, with a 3 month delay. January’s update provides data through Sept 30, 2024 and shows the number of people diagnosed with TB has been rising consistently over the past 5 years. We don’t know the current national picture – the latest available data for all of Canada is from 2022, though it also shows national TB cases and rate rising slowly since 2014. Read more.

Champions of Change: Stories of survivors leading the fight to end TB

In 2024, Results UK interviewed six remarkable people across four continents who have overcome TB and are now advocates for change. Their stories are shared here to help change the public perception of TB, de-stigmatise the condition, and promote person-centred, gender and rights-responsive care and treatment. Read more.

Levofloxacin for the Prevention of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Vietnam

Prevention of drug-resistant tuberculosis is a global health priority. However, trials evaluating the effectiveness of treating Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection among contacts of persons with drug-resistant tuberculosis are lacking. This study conducted a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial comparing 6 months of daily levofloxacin (weight-based doses) with placebo to treat M. tuberculosis infection. Read more.

Key dates

February 2 - 8: International Development Week

February 20: Stop TB Canada National Call

February 26 - March 1: NAR Union TB Conference

Follow us at TBPeople Canada!

TBpeople is a global network of people affected by TB on a mission to unite people and defeat TB. Follow along and join us in building this network in Canada:

Are you or have you been affected by TB? Please consider joining TBpeople Canada to connect with others who have been impacted by TB, and share stories, resources and support with your peers. To learn more about this network, visit our website at https://www.stoptbcanada.com/tbpeoplecanada.

Do you work closely with TB clinics and/or those affected by TB? Click to download and print the flyer on our website and share it in your clinic.

Remain connected by joining our directory

Join our directory of TB researchers, practitioners, advocates and survivors based in Canada to connect with colleagues and engage in our advocacy!

Join the directory by completing this short form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdq1aT8U0Lfj66TqvDV_7yP0vC38i3AABfwWBcd8T-9_p5yBA/viewform

Thank you!

This newsletter is supported by resources donated by Results Canada.