Stop TB Canada Newsletter

December 2024 Newsletter

Tuberculosis research funding trends

The recently launched 2024 report on Tuberculosis Research Funding Trends by Treatment Action Group (TAG) highlights both progress and urgent gaps in global TB research funding. Despite a record-breaking $1.2 billion invested in 2023, this is only 24% of the $5 billion annual funding target set at the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. The shortfall continues to impede advancements in diagnostics, drugs, and vaccines necessary to end the TB epidemic by 2030.

Canada contributed just 28% of its fair share target, highlighting an urgent need for greater investment in TB R&D. Meeting this commitment is vital to advancing innovation and saving lives.

Read more on why Canada must step up in global TB research and how we can bridge the funding gap to end the TB epidemic for good.

SMART4TB launches CABLab: A free resource

SMART4TB is proud to launch CABLab, a self-paced online curriculum for people looking to increase their knowledge to engage more deeply–or for the first time!–in TB advocacy and research. Built in collaboration with our regional Community Advisory Board partners, Afrocab, APCASO, and Eurasian Community for Access to Treatment (ECAT), CABLab covers a broad spectrum of topics, from vaccines to research fundamentals.

Through a mix of articles, videos, and interactive materials, along with opportunities for digital interaction and sharing, CABLab provides a forum where interested advocates can come together to continue expanding their TB knowledge.

Register for CABLab here.

Podcast: Our big shot

A new podcast series called “Our Big Shot” explores stories of disease eradication and the pioneers who can tell us how to finish the journey. In episode #4, Maria Smilios joins to talk about her experience writing “The Black Angels: The Untold Story of the Nurses who Helped Cure Tuberculosis. 'The Black Angels' were a group of black nurses who faced almost certain death to perform the world’s very first clinical trials using the drug that would become the gold standard for TB treatment today. They helped cure tuberculosis in New York City's Sea View Hospital during the mid-20th century.

Listen here.

Publication spotlight

Former Chief Health Officer weighs in on woman jailed for tuberculosis

Tina Campbell, Registered Nurse, TB Advisor for the Northern Inter Tribal Health Authority, and Co-Chair of Stop TB Canada's Steering Committee, sheds light on the stigma and challenges faced by people with TB. Listen now.

Market shaping: how the Global Fund is saving lives and delivering on the future of health

Explore the Global Fund’s unique role in market shaping and how it makes a structural contribution to global health—impacting the procurement, availability and pricing of products in addition to financing their delivery. Read more.

Cheat sheets for tuberculosis activists

TAG’s Cheat Sheets for Tuberculosis Activists are designed to help advocates navigate the range of tools in use and in the research pipeline. Read more.

Eliminating tuberculosis by addressing access and equity

In its Global Tuberculosis Report, The World Health Organization formally records the return of tuberculosis as the world’s leading infectious disease killer as well as highlights progress, challenges, and the urgent need for equity-based interventions to meet the 2030 goals. Read more.

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.