Media advisory

2nd South African TB Conference, Durban ICC, 1 – 4 June 2010

The state of TB in the world, new TB drugs, management of MDR and XDR TB, and TB advocacy and community mobilization are just a few topics that will be covered by local and international experts during plenary sessions of the 2nd SA TB Conference in Durban from 1 -4 June 2010.

122 oral and 90 poster presentations have been accepted for the final programme.

The 2nd SA TB Conference is a scientific conference presented in three tracks, namely:
·         Basic Science
·         Clinical, Epidemiological and Operational Research
·         Patient and Civil Society Mobilisation and Advocacy

If you have not yet applied for media registration and plan to attend this conference, please complete the attached media registration form and send it back to magda.naude@gmail.com or fax to 086 665 3928 as soon as possible.

Journalists that register before the end of April will be guaranteed to receive a programme and abstract CD. The organizers are finalizing the on-site media room facilities, conference books and other hand-outs and want to make sure that sufficient material is produced to meet your needs.

For your benefit, below are the highlights of the plenary session programme.  Short CVs of these speakers are available on request. Please enquire by return email.

PLENARY SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

Opening session:

1 June
Ms Musa Njoko, HIV Champion for Tearfund (a UK based organisation)
Topic: Community Voice.
Njoko, a HIV and TB Activist, is one of the first women to publicly disclose her HIV positive status in South Africa.

Prof Richard Chaisson Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and International Health and Director of the Center for Tuberculosis Research at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Topic:  The Global TB Epidemic: Current Status and Future Prospects.
Chaisson’s research focuses on the on TB and HIV infection, including global epidemiology, prevention, treatment, and public health interventions.

2 June
Dr Bavesh Kana, senior research scientist at Wits University.
Topic:  Dissecting mechanisms of TB pathogenesis to identify novel drug targets.
Kana is involved in conducting semi-independent research on identification and validation of novel drug targets for tuberculosis.

Dr Giorgio Roscigno, Chief Executive Officer of FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics)
Topic: Current and Future Development in TB Diagnostics.
Roscigno was closely associated with the clinical work and the subsequent registration (including FDA) of all the tuberculosis (TB) fixed-dose combinations containing rifampin.

3 June
Dr Graeme Meintjies, infectious diseases specialist at the University of Cape Town and at GF Jooste Hospital in Cape Town.
Topic: Clinical Management of TB and new TB drugs.
Meintjies is a Wellcome Trust Fellow and his major research interests include the tuberculosis-associated immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (TB-IRIS).

Nesri Padayatchi, MBChB, MS, Deputy Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme for Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) in Durban.
Topic: Management of MDR/XDR TB
She has more than 20 years clinical and research experience in the management of Tuberculosis and related problems, and participated in TB/HIV clinical trials from 1996 to date. 

Dr Ed Nardell, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health.
Topic: Infection Control.
For more than 25 years Nardell has been investigating the pathogenesis, transmission, and control of airborne infections – tuberculosis in particular.

4 June
Dr Paula Akugizibwe, AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa.
Topic:  TB/HIV Advocacy and Community Mobilisation
Akugizibwe has served on technical advisory groups for the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the World Health Organisation, on issues related to TB.