Afghanistan:

Afghan Women's Mission - Health Care Program -- Malalai Hospital in Rawalpindi, Pakistan was open from January 1, 2002 until the summer of 2005, at which time it relocated to a refugee camp near Peshawar. There it continues to operate as Malalai Clinic

Humanitarian Assistance for the Women and Children of Afghanistan - HAWCA is a non-political, non-governmental and not profit making organization was established in January 1999 by a group of youth Afghan women and men. HAWCA's establishment was motivated by the despair and devastation suffered by Afghan women and children as victims of war and injustice in Afghanistan and as refugees in Pakistan. HAWCA is providing free social services in the following fields for the women and children of Afghanistan

Africa:

_African Medical and Research Foundation 
AMREF aims to empower people through better health to escape poverty and improve the quality of their lives. AMREF works to integrate TB screening, treatment and referral into the different components of HIV/AIDS interventions, including counseling and testing, parental transmission prevention, laboratory quality assurance and community-based enhancement of adherence to HIV and TB treatment.

Argentina:

Asociacion De Economia De La Salud - AES fue fundada por un grupo de profesionales de diversas disciplinas, que desarrollan sus actividades en el sector de la salud, en el año 1991. El propósito de la Asociación es crear un ámbito científico-pluralista para la reflexión, la investigación y la formación de recursos humanos en el área de la Economía de la Salud, con especial preocupación por la eficacia y la equidad del sistema sanitario.

Asociación Medica Argentina

Ministerio de Salud - Republica Argentina

Australia:

_Community Health and Tuberculosis Australia
CHATA supports the prevention, treatment and research into respiratory diseases, with a focus on improving lung health in low-resource communities.

Canada:

_Canadian Lung Association's TB Department
CLA's Web site provides basic information about, history and the current state of the disease in Canada.

_Stop TB Canada Initiative
Stop TB Canada was formed in order to support the country's efforts to reduce TB worldwide through education, advocacy and communication.

Europe:

_EuroTB
EuroTB coordinates TB surveillance in the 52 countries of WHO's European Region and aims to improve and control of the disease on the continent.  The Web site includes an annual reports archive and country profiles.  

United Kingdom:

_British Lung Foundation
The BLF focuses on over 40 lung conditions and aims to provide support to people living with lung diseases.

_TB Alert
TB Alert works to generate a greater response to the pandemic in the United Kingdom and raise funding to provide operational support to developing countries battling the disease.

United States:

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) [Mar 5 06]--The mission of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), as an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to serve the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and disease related to toxic substances. ATSDR is directed by congressional mandate to perform specific functions concerning the effect on public health of hazardous substances in the environment. These functions include public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries, response to emergency releases of hazardous substances, applied research in support of public health assessments, information development and dissemination, and education and training concerning hazardous substances. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/

American Academy for Emergency Medicine [Mar 5 06]--The American Academy of Emergency Medicine is the specialty society of Emergency Medicine with 5,000 members. http://www.aaem.org/

American Association of Health Plans - Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness [Mar 5 06]--Welcome to America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the voice of America's health insurers. AHIP is the national trade association representing nearly 1,300 member companies providing health insurance coverage to more than 200 million Americans. This site is dedicated to keeping you aware of the ongoing bioterrorism and emergency preparedness activities within the government and across the nation. AAHP staff members are keeping current with events and recommendations to help our member plans with their preparedness planning and to keep you informed.

Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) [Mar 5 06]--The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) is a tri-service agency of the Department of Defense specializing in pathology consultation, education and research. AFIP maintains 22 subspecialty departments with a combined workforce of over 820 personnel, including over 120 pathologists and other scientists. In 2001 AFIP consulted on over 92,000 cases, including 55,000 sent for an expert "second opinion." 90% are tumor pathology cases -revealing difficult, unusual or rare entities not typically seen in the military or civilian medical communities. AFIP experts also conducted 27,000 cytology cases for the U.S. Air Force in 2001, and another 10,000 cases for quality assurance and risk management. http://www.afip.org/

Armed Forces Radiobiology Institute [Mar 5 06]--AFRRI, a triservice laboratory chartered in 1961, conducts research in the field of radiobiology and related matters essential to the operational and medical support of the U.S. Department of Defense and the military services. The institute collaborates with other governmental facilities, academic institutions, and civilian laboratories in the United States and other countries. Its findings have broad military and civilian applications.

Established in 2002, the University of Minnesota Center for Public Health Preparedness seeks to improve the capacity of the Public Health System. The UMNCPHP is funded in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a member of the national network of centers for public health preparedness.

Selected courses:

Protecting our food system from intentional attack

This training is designed to provide an overview of the general operations of mass dispensing sites and serves as an orientation for individuals who may be asked to work in those sites during an emergency. It is intended to complement “just in time” training provided on site at the time of deployment. Volunteers including MRC and CERT members and others including public health staff may find this training beneficial. Your volunteer coordinator may request that you provide her/him with your completed volunteer assessment form and course certificate to be maintained as part of your training record.

Center for Public Health Preparedness, University at Albany School of Public Health--This guide, Public Health Incident Command System (PHICS): A Guide for the Management of Emergencies or Other Unusual Incidents within Public Health Agencies (2005), provides an overview of how the standardized ICS system is applied within the context of public health. Appendices in Volume II feature job action sheets, forms, an emergency plan outline, and a resource directory. Available free online. http://www.ualbanycphp.org/pinata/phics/default.cfm

Centers for Disease Control [Jan 12 06 Atlanta GA]--The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves. Since it was founded in 1946 to help control malaria, CDC has remained at the forefront of public health efforts to prevent and control infectious and chronic diseases, injuries, workplace hazards, disabilities, and environmental health threats. Today, CDC is globally recognized for conducting research and investigations and for its action oriented approach. CDC applies research and findings to improve people’s daily lives and responds to health emergencies—something that distinguishes CDC from its peer agencies. www.cdc.gov

Centers for Public Health Preparedness [Mar 5 06]--By reaching and teaching the public health workforce, the Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) help to ensure a strong public health system when and where it is needed. Through their commitment to providing lifelong learning opportunities to public health professionals, schools of public health prepare the public health workforce to meet health threats and emergencies. The network of 50 CPHP is a unique partnership between accredited schools of public health, dentistry schools, medical schools, and veterinary schools and state and local health departments. The power of the network lies in the partnerships. It provides a countrywide defense system through the preparation of front-line public health workers and first responders. http://www.asph.org/acphp/

Crisis & Emergency Risk Communication: By Leaders for Leaders--This resource, available free online from the Centers for Disease Control, gives leaders tools to help them speak to the public, media, partners, and stakeholders during an intense public-safety emergency. Topics include the psychology of communicating in a crisis, the leader’s role as a spokesperson, working with media during a crisis, and public health and media law. www.cdc.gov/communication/emergency/leaders.pdf

Epidemic Intelligence Service [Mar 5 06]--The EIS was established in 1951 following the start of the Korean War as an early warning system against biological warfare and man-made epidemics. The program, composed of medical doctors, researchers, and scientists who serve in 2-year assignments, today has expanded into a surveillance and response unit for all types of epidemics, including chronic disease and injuries. http://www.cdc.gov/eis/

Foodborne Outbreak Response and Surveillance Unit [Mar 5 06]--The term Foodborne Diseases encompasses a diverse collection of acute illnesses cause by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and chemicals. Only a small proportion of foodborne illness occurs in the setting of a recognized outbreak. Nevertheless, outbreak data are uniquely valuable in establishing a link between foodborne illness and specific foods or settings. This site has been established to provide public health officials, researchers, and the general public with information on foodborne disease outbreaks. Our role is to investigate outbreaks and establish both short-term control measures and long-term improvements to prevent similar outbreaks in the future. We strive to work closely with state and local health departments to investigate foodborne outbreaks and make information available to the public.

Headington Institute [Jan 12 06 Pasadena CA]--The Headington Institute was established in 2001 to provide psychological and spiritual support for humanitarian aid and disaster relief personnel worldwide. The Institute provides a collaborative network of mental health professionals offering counseling services, organizational consultation, and preventive education and training to relief organizations. Service teams consisting of seasoned clinicians and competent trainees offer both short and long-term assistance to those working with victims of war, political violence, disease, and natural disasters. By providing direct services, education, information and referral, the Headington Institute is a partner to aid organizations seeking to provide support for the emotional well-being of their personnel. www.headington-institute.org

Institute of Medicine of the National Academies [Mar 5 06]--The nation turns to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies for science-based advice on matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health. A nonprofit organization specifically created for this purpose as well as an honorific membership organization, the IOM was chartered in 1970 as a component of the National Academy of Sciences. The Institute provides a vital service by working outside the framework of government to ensure scientifically informed analysis and independent guidance. The IOM's mission is to serve as adviser to the nation to improve health. The Institute provides unbiased, evidence-based, and authoritative information and advice concerning health and science policy to policy-makers, professionals, leaders in every sector of society, and the public at large.

National Center for Environmental Health [Mar 5 06]--The environment is everything around us - the air we breathe, the water we drink and use, and the food we consume. It's also the chemicals, radiation, microbes, and physical forces with which we come into contact. Our interactions with the environment are complex and are not always healthy. We at the National Center for Environmental Health, also known as NCEH, are working to prevent illness, disability, and death from interactions between people and the environment. We are especially committed to safeguarding the health of populations that are particularly vulnerable to certain environmental hazards - children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/

National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) [Mar 5 06]--The mission of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID) is to prevent illness, disability, and death caused by infectious diseases in the United States and around the world. To accomplish this goal, our staff members work in partnership with local and state public health officials, other federal agencies, medical and public health professional associations, infectious disease experts from academic and clinical practice, and international and public service organizations. We accomplish our mission by conducting surveillance, epidemic investigations, epidemiologic and laboratory research, training, and public education programs to develop, evaluate, and promote prevention and control strategies for infectious diseases. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/index.htm

National Disaster Medical System [Mar 5 06]--The National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) is a section within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Response Division, Operations Branch, and is responsible for supporting Federal agencies in the management and coordination of the Federal medical response to major emergencies and Federally declared disasters including: Natural Disasters
Technological Disasters, Major Transportation Accidents, Acts of Terrorism including Weapons of Mass Destruction Events http://ndms.dhhs.gov/index.html

National Governors Association--The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices produced this issue brief titled “State Strategies for Fully Integrating Public Health into Homeland Security.” http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/FULLYPUBLICHEALTH.pdf

Pan American Health Organization The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is an international public health agency with 100 years of experience in working to improve health and living standards of the countries of the Americas. It serves as the specialized organization for health of the Inter-American System. It also serves as the Regional Office for the Americas of the World Health Organization and enjoys international recognition as part of the United Nations system.

http://www.paho.org/

RAND Center for Domestic and International Health Security [Mar 5 06 Arlington VA USA]--The Center for Domestic and International Health Security is a multidisciplinary research collaboration housed at RAND. The Center's mission is to improve global health, and to protect the health of the American homeland by strengthening our defenses against terrorist attacks. Drawing on RAND's expertise in health and in foreign policy, the Center frames the issues in these areas, gathers the necessary information, and evaluates alternative strategies and programs. Center staff include behavioral scientists, economists, medical sociologists, organizational analysts, physicians, policy analysts, political scientists, and statisticians. They are focusing their efforts in three broad areas: Global health; Mental health; Public health and preparedness. http://www.rand.org/health/centers/healthsecurity/ 
 

UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters--The UCLA Center for Public Health and Disasters (CPHD) was established in 1997 to address the critical issues faced when disaster impacts a community. The Center is based in the Department of Community Health Sciences in the UCLA School of Public Health. Center faculty and staff have diverse backgrounds that include emergency medicine, environmental health, urban planning, engineering, international health, health services, epidemiology, gerontology, sociology, and community health. http://www.cphd.ucla.edu/

University of South Dakota Disaster Mental Health Institute--The mission of the Disaster Mental Health Institute (DMHI) is the promotion, development, and application of both practice and research in disaster mental health. The Institute was founded in 1993, and was designated a South Dakota Board of Regents Center of Excellence in 1997. The institute also hosts an annual "Conference on Innovations in Disaster Mental Health." The DMHI Web site provides in-depth information about the institute and conference, a list of available publications, as well as several online booklets on coping with the aftermath of disasters.

http://www.usd.edu/dmhi/

Reports on TB:

_Amor, Yanis et al. Underreported Threat of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis in Africa. Emerging Infectious Diseases. September 2008. The study finds that retreatment failure is a predictive indicator of MDR-TB in Africa and calls for increased MDR-TB assessment on the continent.

_Keshavjee, Salmaan et al. Treatment of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Tomsk, Russia: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Lancet. Aug. 25, 2008.
The study found that aggressive treatment regimens can successfully treat nearly half of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis and can help prevent multi-drug resistant TB from developing into XDR-TB.

_The 1% Scandal: Living With HIV, Dying of TB.  Action Advocacy To Control TB Internationally. August 2008. The report, released at the XVII International AIDS Conference, found that only 1% of HIV-positive people worldwide have been screened for TB and that of those screened more than 25% were found to have active TB.

_Mitnick, Carole et al. Comprehensive Treatment of Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis. New England Journal of Medicine. Aug. 7, 2008. The study found that treating XDR-TB with aggressive regimens achieved a 60% success rate among patients in Lima, Peru.

_Cain, Kevin et al. Tuberculosis Among Foreign-Born Persons in the United States. Journal of the American Medical Association. July 23, 2008. The study found that 57% of all TB cases in the U.S. in 2006 were among immigrants and that immigrants originally from sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia are at highest risk of the disease. The study called for improved efforts to screen people from high-risk countries for TB before they depart their home countries or to test them and begin treatment when they arrive in the U.S.

_Havlir, Diane et al. Opportunities and Challenges for HIV Care in Overlapping HIV and TB Epidemics. Journal of the American Medical Association. July 23, 2008.
The study suggests that TB prevention and treatment activities be integrated into HIV treatment programs in resource-limited settings to reduce mortality among people living with HIV/TB coinfection.

_Jeon, Christie et al. Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Active Tuberculosis: A Systematic Review of 13 Observational Studies. PLoS Medicine. July 15, 2008.
This study analyzed previous studies that found people with diabetes have an increased risk of developing active TB. The study suggested that efforts to detect and treat TB among people with diabetes should be increased and that TB control measures could benefit from efforts to diagnose and treat diabetes among people receiving TB treatment.

_Call For Action, HIV/TB Global Leaders’ Forum. HIV/TB Global Leaders Forum, June 2008. The call to action urges stakeholders to scale-up collaborative activities on TB and HIV and increase efforts to meet Millennium Development Goal targets.

_Independent External Evaluation of the Stop TB Partnership. Stop TB Partenrship, May 2008. The report says that the Stop TB Partnership has significantly impacted efforts to stop tuberculosis since 2001 and contains recommendations on the way forward for the organization.

_Global Monitoring Report 2008. World Bank-International Monetary Fund, April 2008. The report finds that most countries will not achieve the targets set out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

_Tackling Tuberculosis: The Business Response. World Economic Forum, March 2008. The World Economic Forum's Global Health Initiative report examines TB in workplaces worldwide.

_Anti-Tuberculosis Drug Resistance in the World. WHO, February 2008.
The report found that MDR-TB has been detected at record-high levels and that cases of XDR-TB have been recorded in 45 countries.

_Economic Benefit of Tuberculosis Control. World Bank/Stop TB Partnership, December 2007.   
The report analyzes the economic benefit of investing in sustained TB control programs in the 22 countries with the highest TB burdens worldwide.

_A Critical Analysis of Funding Trends, 2005-2006.Treatment Action Group, November 2007. The report examines global TB funding.

_Brennan, Michael et al. Development of New Tuberculosis Vaccines: A Global Perspective on Regulatory Issues. PLoS Medicine, August 2007. The article includes recommendations on how to address the various stages of clinical trials and final registration of new TB vaccines.

_The Global MDR-TB and XDR-TB Response Plan, 2007-2008. WHO/Stop TB Partnership, June 2007. The document outlines a plan that recommends actions at the regional, national and global levels to stop the spread of drug-resistant TB.

_Pathway to Patients: Charting the Dynamics of the Global TB Drug Market. Global Alliance for TB Drug Development, May 2007  The study examines how TB medicines reach people worldwide and provides an estimate of the global market for first-line TB treatments.

_TB and HIV: The Failure To Act. Medecins Sans Frontieres, March 2007. The report says that TB treatment strategies should be adapted to address the effects of HIV and that international organizations should boost their support for the development of TB and HIV vaccines.

_Wong, Yun-Ling et al. Drying a Tuberculosis Vaccine Without Freezing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, February 2007. The study examines a new form of the BCG TB vaccine that eventually could be administered as a spray instead of an injection.

_HIV Testing For Life... HIV Testing For All Tuberculosis Patients. Stop TB Partnership, February 2007. The book aims to highlight the importance of providing HIV testing and counseling for people with TB. It was printed by Thailand's TB/HIV Research Foundation and Japan's Research Institute of TB.

_Confronting a Hidden Disease: TB in Roma Communities. Open Society Institute, January 2007. This report -- produced by the Open Society Institute's Public Health Program in collaboration with the World Lung Foundation -- outlines the available literature and data on Roma and TB in Central and Eastern Europe. It also examines current efforts by governments and nongovernmental organizations to address the disease among Roma communities.