Convening for the first time in 10 years, the 4th World Congress on Tuberculosis will meet in Washington, DC, June 3-5 to evaluate progress and define unmet needs in global TB prevention and treatment. The June 3rd media briefing will provide an overview of the disease, highlight current research, and describe the fruitful partnerships forged between private and public sectors in the battle against TB.

Panelists and their topics are:

• Why Tuberculosis Matters (An Overview)
  Philip Hopewell, University of California, San Francisco
• Controlling TB in High-Burden Countries
  Mario Raviglione, World Health Organization
• Research: New Directions in TB Diagnostics, Drugs, and Vaccines
  Ken Duncan, GlaxoSmithKline
• Forging Partnerships between Private and Public Players
  Carol Nacy, Sequella Foundation
  Maria Freire, Global Alliance for TB Drug Development

Reporters are welcome to attend any part of the meeting (agenda below) subject to space availability. Those planning to attend the media briefing must pre-register by May 29th with Anne Oplinger, NIAID, at (301) 402-1663 or by email aoplinger@niaid.nih.gov. Media may register on-site at no charge to attend other portions of the meeting.

Note: The Marriott Wardman Park Hotel is easily reached on Metro's Red Line, Woodley Park-Zoo stop.

The Agenda for the 4th World Congress on Tuberculosis is available at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/tuberculosis/tbcongress/agenda.htm.

The 4th World Congress on Tuberculosis is sponsored and organized by:
American Lung Association * American Thoracic Society * Global Alliance for TB Drug Development Infectious Diseases Society of America * IUATLD * KNCV * Sequella Global TB Foundation * STOP TB The Coalition for TB R&D * The Rockefeller Foundation * The UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases * The Wellcome Trust * US Agency for International Development * U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention * U.S. National Institutes of Health: Fogarty International Center, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Additional Donors:
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation * Open Society Institute * Pittsfield Anti-TB Association

NIAID is a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIAID supports basic and applied research to prevent, diagnose, and treat infectious and immune-mediated illnesses, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, illness from potential agents of bioterrorism, tuberculosis, malaria, autoimmune disorders, asthma and allergies.

More information about the 4th World Congress on Tuberculosis home page is viewable at http://www.niaid.nih.gov/dmid/tuberculosis/tbcongress/.

Press releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID Web site at http://www.niaid.nih.gov.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.