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TB BOOKSHELF

“A Sanatorium for the Future: Tuberculosis, Jewish Organizations, and the State in Decolonizing Morocco.” a Webinar by Julia Schulte-Werning

Hosted by: JDC

Run time: Approximately 53 minutes

https://archives.jdc.org/julia-schulte-werning-lectures-on-tuberculosis-in-morocco/

The work examined in this month’s column, a webinar on Morocco’s Ben Ahmed Sanatorium, is different not just due to the medium. Julia Schulte-Werning is reporting on research in progress, revealing not only her findings but the thinking behind her presentation–analogous to how those invested in TB treatment and eradication must continually ask, “How do we best communicate TB related matter, and to whom for maximum efficacy?”

Besides exploring the logistical and financial issues in building, supplying, and staffing the sanitorium–a joint project of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Community (JDC) and the Oeuvre de Secours aux Enfants (OSE)--throughout the webinar, Schulte-Werning focuses on critical questions of trust and cooperation. After all, since the sanatorium project began, the government changed from pre-WWII French Colonial control, to a nominally Vichy-controlled regime (the sultan Sidi Mohammed Ben Youssef did not actively oppose the Germans, but worked to protect Jews from the worst of Nazi initiatives), to interim allied-control (as Morocco was liberated well before VE-Day), to yet another French Colonial regime (where renewed French investment in TB treatment was designed to to quell domestic dissatisfaction), and finally, to Moroccan self-rule. Examining how the JDC–an international organization based in America–and the OSE adapted, serves as a reminder of just how important institutions–in all meanings of the word–are to reach successful treatment.

Beyond issues of construction, funding, management, and training there were questions such as would the patients come (even with the installation of a kosher kitchen)? And whose treatment would get priority given limited resources? After all, in the immediate post-shoah period, Moroccan Jews gained importance among worldwide Jewry as a “population reservoir” but Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, and the war stemming from the foundation of modern Israel was inflaming Jewish-Muslim relations worldwide.

There are other present-day parallels: just as many TB patients suffer from comorbidities including HIV and diabetes, Morocco's doctors were occupied with the “three T’s”, trachoma, tinea, and tuberculosis: the first two they thought they could eradicate (which happened with trachoma) while tuberculosis provided an entirely different set of challenges in part to TB patients being prone to reinfection in their crowded living conditions. High-level decision-making is a matter of resources and results, and the definition of results was highly fluid (“desirable”, “essential,” and simply “good”). So fluid in fact, that discussing her process and future plans, Schulte-Werning says that even to her trained historian’s eye, her biggest surprise was the extent to which “things are far more complicated than ever imagined.”

Schulte-Werning’s plans to continue her research, but in the meantime, TB Wire readers can find many more tuberculosis-related photos and documents all through the publicly accessible JDC archives at https://search.archives.jdc.org/

--David Moskowitz, Media Workgroup Chair

November 2024

GREETINGS FROM THE CHAIR

Happy American Diabetes Month, everyone! Did you know that TB and diabetes influence each other in
an unhealthy synergy reminiscent of TB/HIV? Just one of the reasons why, among others, we admire Dr.
Brostrom’s work on bidirectional testing and health worker support. Who is your #TBHero? Who or
what inspires you to work to #EndTB?

- Cynthia A. Tschampl, PhD, Chair

Stop TB USA
stoptbusa.org
leadership@stoptbusa.org
PO Box 260288, Atlanta, GA 31126 USA

TB IN THE NEWS

TB Incidence Reports:

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Read lots more TB news on our website page ‘From TB Wire’!

EVENTS, CONFERENCES, & COURSES

CDC Highlights Key Updates in Tuberculosis Trials at Virtual Meeting

CDC virtually hosted the latest Tuberculosis Trials Consortium (TBTC) meeting from October 22 to October 24. This meeting focused on study updates and planning for their three major trials:
- CRUSH-TB (Combination Regimens for Shortening Tuberculosis Treatment)/Study 38;
- ASTERoidD (Assessment of the Safety, Tolerability, and Effectiveness of Rifapentine Given Daily for Latent TB Infection)/TBTC Study 37; and
- TBTC Study 35, CDC’s trial for appropriate dosing of a novel water-dispersible, child-friendly formulation of rifapentine with isoniazid in children aged 0-12 years

CDC Announces Continued Partnership with TB Elimination Alliance

CDC is pleased to announce that we will be continuing our work with the TB Elimination Alliance partners (Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, the Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum, Stop TB USA, and Hep B United) through the next cycle of CDC’s National Partners Cooperative Agreement. To learn more about TEA, visit the TEA website.

Pacific Islands TB Controllers Association (PITCA) Conference Recap

The Pacific Islands TB Controllers Association (PITCA) Conference took place from October 21-25, 2024, in Pohnpei, Micronesia. Tuberculosis experts from the Pacific Islands, Australia, and the U.S. mainland gathered to discuss TB management and control. The conference provided training and networking opportunities through plenary and breakout sessions for clinicians, nurses, outreach workers, laboratory staff, and program managers.

TB Wire past issues: 2024, 2023, 2022

TB RESOURCES & REPORTS

Find more TB resources on our website page ‘TB Resources’!

Stop TB USA: Where we unite to #EndTB!

Invite a friend to sign up to receive the TB Wire and be a part of Stop TB USA!

Consider donating: https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/stop-tb-usa

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Other Opportunities:

Notice of CDC Funding Opportunity Announcement
Call for case studies and best practices on addressing tuberculosis in prisons
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID)”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB

programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.2023-2024 TEA Mini-Grant Program RFP and Information Session Open Now!Applications dueJune 16th, 2023.
-CDC recently published a“Dear Colleague Letter”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB
programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.2023-2024 TEA Mini-Grant Program RFP and Information Session Open Now!Applications dueJune 16th, 2023.
-CDC recently published a“Dear Colleague Letter”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB
programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.2023-2024 TEA Mini-Grant Program RFP and Information Session Open Now!Applications dueJune 16th, 2023.
-CDC recently published a“Dear Colleague Letter”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB
programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.

2023-2024 TEA Mini-Grant Program RFP and Information Session Open Now!Applications dueJune 16th, 2023.
-CDC recently published a“Dear Colleague Letter”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB
programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.2023-2024 TEA Mini-Grant Program RFP and Information Session Open Now!Applications dueJune 16th, 2023.
-CDC recently published a“Dear Colleague Letter”addressing reported drug shortage challenges for U.S. TB
programs.
-FDA updated its Drug Shortage Reportto include isoniazid (INH)on 05/23/23.View the report here.

DC UPDATE

Great news! The End TB Now Act of 2023 passed the Senate in September! Now we need to re-double our calls and emails to our House members to ask them to co-sponsor the bill and to speak with leadership to add it to the suspension calendar.

Here are the asks for your Members of Congress:

Write or speak to the Chair and Ranking member of Appropriations in favor of a minimum of $225 million for CDC’s fiscal year 2025 TB programs as TB cases increased 16% in 2023 and will continue to rise as the full impact of COVID-19 comes to bear.
Write a letter to CMS Administrator Brooks-LaSure in support of a **timely** National Coverage Determination of LTBI screening and testing.
(House members only:) Co-sponsor the End TB Now Act, H.1776/S.288! [Here’s a helpful fact sheet and a press release about the End TB Now Act.] Sample script: As your constituent and a global health advocate, I urge you to support the bipartisan End Tuberculosis Now Act (H.R.1776) being led by Reps. Bera and Salazar. The Senate just passed their companion bill via unanimous consent - and we are urging the House Leadership to put this bill on the
suspension calendar for a vote as soon as possible.

Call the Capitol Switchboard at 1-202-224-3121 and ask for your senator/representative or give your state if you do not know their name. When you are connected to an office, ask for the Health Legislative Assistant. If you leave a voicemail message, include your name, phone number, and email so that they can respond. If you would like a sample script, email us at leadership@stoptbusa.org. Bonus points if you write us at leadership@stoptbusa.org and tell us how your call went!!