World No Tobacco Day
The Union is marking World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2010, as a critical point in the 2010: Year of the Lung. Studies show that 50% of all deaths from lung disease are linked to tobacco use. “Strengthening tobacco control is the single most important action we can take to improve global lung health”, said Dr Nils E Billo, Executive Director of The Union.
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European Parliament, Brussels – Strong warnings of the dangers of smoking with images of diseased organs should be introduced across the EU to all tobacco packaging as soon as possible, urged the Smoke Free Partnership (SFP) at a conference today. On World No Tobacco Day the SFP also called for standardised packaging of tobacco products by 2012 – removing all logos and colours, along with uniform lettering – so that the pack can no longer be used as a form of advertising to attract new young smokers.
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World Asthma Day
BRUSSELS — The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) are marking World Asthma Day, May 4, with a call for greater understanding of the disease, more awareness of its social and economic impact, and a boost to funding for research to get a better grasp of its causes, and to find a cure.
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World TB Day
Experts are warning against the dangers of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis
LAUSANNE - Although TB has been curable for more than 60 years, there are still 9 million new cases and 1.6 million deaths from this infectious lung disease each year. The disease is again in the forefront of attention; the main reason, aside from frequent TB/HIV co-infection, is the rise of resistant TB strains.
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The Union to launch international trial of 9-month MDR-TB treatment regimen
Paris, WORLD TB DAY (24 March 2010) — The need for accessible, effective multidrug-resistant tuberculosis treatment is urgent, as the incidence of MDR-TB continues to rise, and extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) has been reported in 57 countries. In response, the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) is launching a trial of a 9-month treatment regimen that has demonstrated cure rates exceeding 80% in a pilot programme. Read the full article on theunion.org website
La tuberculosis se diagnostica en España entre 10 y 20 días más tarde de lo recomendado
El porcentaje de casos resistentes a los tratamientos antituberculosos es elevado y va en aumento, las tasas de cumplimiento terapéutico aunque buenas podrían mejorarse y se ratifica que es en el colectivo inmigrante donde más ha aumentado la enfermedad, aunque se registren en este trabajo más casos de autóctonos. Éstas son algunas de las conclusiones del Estudio ECUTTE, publicado el pasado diciembre en la revista Respiratory Research. Este estudio, además, destaca la necesidad de dar prioridad al tratamiento directamente observado en pacientes que tienen antecedentes de TB, en indigentes, toxicómanos infectados por VIH, y en determinados grupos de inmigrantes y de pacientes que viven solos.
La tuberculosis mantiene sus cifras en España
Según los últimos datos publicados por la Red de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de España, a mediados de julio de 2009 ya se habían notificado 3.340 nuevos casos de tuberculosis en España. Según datos provisionales publicados, este centro nacional registró en 2009, 6.070 casos de tuberculosis. Sin embargo, estas cifras deben considerarse con reservas, ya que a pesar de que la tuberculosis es una enfermedad de declaración obligatoria, se estima que al menos una tercera parte de los casos no se notifican. Según datos publicados por la OMS (Organización Mundial de la Salud), España alcanzó los 13.000 pacientes nuevos de tuberculosis en 2007, con un índice de incidencia de 30 nuevos casos por 100.000 habitantes, mientras que la Red de Vigilancia Epidemiológica daba una cifra de 6.546.
World Sleep Day
World Sleep Day, with its slogan ‘sleep well, stay healthy’, reminds us of the crucial role sleep plays in the health and wellbeing of the individual.
The Union’s Asthma Drug Facility makes affordable asthma medicines a reality for Benin and El Salvador
Paris, 3 March 2010 -- The cost of treating asthma has dropped by nearly half in Benin and El Salvador, thanks to the Asthma Drug Facility (ADF) created by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union). The two countries are the first to receive deliveries of affordably priced, quality-assured asthma inhalers purchased through the ADF.
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2010: Year of the Lung marks anniversary of Tobacco Control Treaty
26 February 2010: It is now five years since the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) came into effect, marking an important milestone in public health history.
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European Launch of the Year of the Lung 2010 held in Marseille
Hundreds of millions of people suffer every day from lung diseases, and they cause almost 20% of all deaths in the world. Increased awareness about lung diseases is vital, because they are killing more and more people every year and account for a socioeconomic burden of €102 billion due to health care costs and lost working days in Europe alone. The ‘Big Five' lung disorders are lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB) and asthma.
Read the full article or download the articleLeading global health experts unite behind a global call for action on lung disease
Cancun, Mexico, 6 December 2009 —The Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS), convening at the 40th anniversary International Union Against TB and Lung Disease World Conference in Cancun, Mexico, today unanimously declared that 2010 will be the Year of the Lung.
