All-Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis

Welcome

Welcome to the website of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Global Tuberculosis (APPG on Global TB) was established in 2006 in response to cross-party concern for the growing scale and impact of the TB epidemic and to reinforce the UK's commitment to halting and reversing the incidence of TB worldwide.

The purpose of this website is to share information about the Group and its work and to help raise the profile of the global TB problem among decision-makers and the public.

APPG News

22 July 2010 - APPG on Global TB Officers Meet with Minister

APPG Officers, Andrew George MP and Virendra Sharma MP, today met with the DFID Minister Stephen O’Brien to discuss TB policy under the new Government. The meeting, held in Westminster, discussed a wide range of global TB issues including Global Fund Replenishment, the Government’s multilateral and bilateral aid reviews and levels of funding for fighting specific diseases.

The Minister and the APPG Officers also discussed the planned report the APPG will produce in the second half of this year looking at how effective DFID has been at tackling TB internationally. If you would like further information about this report, or would like to know how to contribute to the inquiry, please contact mike.smith@results.org.uk.
 

7 July 2010 - TB in the UK Parliamentary Meeting – Why? Who? What?

The APPG on Global TB, met in the Houses of Parliament to discuss the alarming rapid increase in cases of TB in the UK. Over the last 20 years cases of this ‘forgotten disease’ have steadily increased. 2009 saw a greater than 5% jump taking the number of new cases to over 9000.

APPG vice-Chair, Virendra Sharma, MP chaired the event which was attended by several parliamentarians and many members of health agencies working on TB. Four speakers gave presentations at the event – Dr Priscila Nkwenti - Chief Executive of the Black Health Agency, Mike Mandelbaum - Chief Executive of TB Alert, Al Story - Clinical Lead at the Find and Treat Project, and David Olapoju - one of the Find and Treat Project’s Peer Educators.

The meeting sought to address the questions of ‘WHY rates are increasing’, ‘WHO is most at risk’ and ‘WHAT can be done to address this’.
 

16 June 2010 - New APPG Officers Elected

The APPG on Global Tuberculosis has held its ‘inaugural election of officers’ and its first AGM following the general election. At the meeting, held in the House of Commons, the Group elected Andrew George MP (Liberal Democrat for St Ives) as Chair of the Group. The APPG also elected 4 vice-Chairs of the Group - Virendra Sharma, the Labour MP for Ealing Southall; Mark Lancaster, the Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North; Annette Brooke, the Liberal Democrat MP for mid-Dorset and north Poole; and Baroness Masham of Ilton a crossbench peer and long-standing champion of health issues.

Following the election of officers, the Group received an update on the fight against tuberculosis both in the UK and internationally from Professor Anthony Harries, Senior Advisor to the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and Surinder Tamne, Senior Specialist Nurse at the Health Protection Agency. The informative updates provided suggestions for the future work of the Group.

The APPG is a cross-party group working in parliament to raise the profile of this often forgotten, but devastating disease. Members and officers are drawn from a wide range of parties and both Houses of Parliament.
 

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Upcoming meetings & events

APPG on Global TB Parliamentarians' visit to the Mobile X-Ray Screening Unit (MXU).  This is a chance for MPs and Peers to visit the MXU as it screens 'hard to reach and treat' patients in London.  

These visits are ongoing during the second half of 2010.

For further information please email mike.smith@results.org.uk