Stop TB Canada Newsletter

January 2024 Newsletter

Welcoming the 2024 Steering Committee

We're thrilled to announce and extend a warm welcome to our 2024 steering committee!

The steering committee is made of a wide array of TB experts based in Canada who will be providing guidance, perspective, and advice on Stop TB Canada’s strategic development and operations.

The first meeting was held on January 25th. At this kickoff meeting, it was announced that Petra Heitkamp will be taking on the position of co-chair alongside Tina Campbell.

This dynamic group of experts brings with them a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion towards our shared mission of ending tuberculosis for all. We look forward to collaborating with the steering committee on impactful initiatives that will help us make significant strides in the fight against TB at home and abroad!

Get to know the steering committee here.

Join Us to Plan for World TB Day

Stop TB Canada’s National Calls are an opportunity for the TB community in Canada to connect, share information, and identify opportunities for collaboration in the fight against TB.

On February 15th at 11:00am ET, we will be facilitating a discussion on plans for World TB Day.

Join us to hear what we’re planning and share how you will be commemorating World TB Day!

Light Canada Up In Red For World TB Day!

World TB Day is March 24th and we invite you to join the movement to light Canada up in red!

How will this help? TB is a long-neglected disease despite the global devastation it has wreaked. Lighting up landmarks is a great way to raise awareness and initiate conversations with decision-makers.

Request a monument in your city to be lit up in red on March 24th to commemorate World TB Day using this resource.

Starting early is crucial, as it may take weeks or even months to secure approval for lighting up a building or monument in red.

GVIRF Webinar: New TB Vaccines for Adults and Adolescents, Progress, Prospects, and Perspectives

The Global Vaccine and Immunization Research Forum (GVIRF) is hosting a webinar on February 22nd at 9am ET to discuss the state of TB vaccine development across the value chain. Experts will discuss the following:

What are the major bottlenecks to TB vaccine development for this new population, and what is needed to de-risk investment?
Do we have the tools needed to identify and down-select new TB vaccine targets?
What are the priorities to prepare the pathway for new TB vaccine implementation, particularly for adults and adolescents?

Publication Spotlight

Tuberculosis Research Funding Trends 2005 — 2022

While global funding for TB R&D topped $1 billion in both 2021 and 2022, this amount is insufficient to produce and roll out the tools needed to find, treat, and prevent the 10 million new cases of TB each year. Spending on TB vaccine R&D fell a whopping 80% short of targets set by Stop TB’s Global Plan to End TB in 2018, with funding for drugs and diagnostics lagging by 75% and 35% respectively. Read more here.

Tracking down tuberculosis

Improvements in screening and diagnosis could help to eradicate this curable disease. A researcher at UCLA is working on a cheaper diagnostic test, a fluorescent tag that binds to a product of living TB bacteria and makes them quickly identifiable under a microscope. Read more here.

Key Dates

February 4-10: International Development Week

February 9: Deadline to submit abstracts to NAR TB Conference (Baltimore, April 16-19)

February 20: World Day of Social Justice

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, the McGill International TB Center, TB in Focus and ZMQ Development.