To coincide with World TB Day, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (the Union) has released the results of a study that shows tobacco smoking doubles the risk of tuberculosis (TB) recurring. The Union states that the Study is the most robust ever conducted into how smoking tobacco increases the risk of recurrent TB. The Study involved a large sample of 5,567 patients who had successfully completed TB treatment.
Late in 2012, I was an invited fellow of the National Press Foundation of Washington to the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung diseases’ (the Union) annual conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Union, is one of the world’s peak bodies in the fight against Tuberculosis (TB) along with the ‘Stop TB Partnership’ (a part of the World Health Organization -WHO). It is these two organizations that largely inform the Government of PNG’s health initiatives, policies and strategies surrounding TB. It was the Union that developed the Direct Observation Treatment – short course (DOTS) that is now administered by World Continue reading Tuberculosis in PNG: Of myths and misconceptions