Health officials have expressed concern over drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis emerging in Eastern Europe and central Asia. The Red Cross called it the most alarming tuberculosis situation since World War II and instructed EU leaders to act on the threat.

The World Health Organization (WHO) cited that the "hottest zones" of strains were on the EU borders

Members of the Chinese Academy of Science and the Chinese Academy of Engineering are urging the government and the public for more awareness on the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and tuberculosis diseases which they said, have claim over 300,000 Chinese lives every year.

Doctors attending a medical forum in Zhejiang Province in east China urged the public for increased awareness and control of the infectious diseases

A World Health Organization official has issued warnings of a new strain of tuberculosis in Africa that could lead to a health crisis if not dealt properly.

A highly drug-resistant strain has cropped up in the Kwazulu-Natal region of South Africa killing 52 and infecting 53 others. Experts suspect that the strain may have already been spread to other countries

Five countries announced an initiative Tuesday called UNITAID to raise at least $300 million next year to fund drug treatments for children with AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in developing countries. The countries - France, Brazil, Britain, Norway and Chile - plan to combine their assets and have asked former U.S. President Bill Clinton to negotiate with drug companies for generic drugs at volume discounts.

France will use proceeds from an airline ticket tax that went into effect in July to contribute about $250 million in 2007. A dozen more countries are considering taxing their airline tickets so they can take part in the initiative. The United States has rejected the idea of imposing an airline tax to fund a health program, but is working on a global AIDS program of its own

St George's Hospital Medical School researchers in London have come up with a new and quick test for tuberculosis (TB) - it's described as an inexpensive dipstick technique with 78% diagnostic accuracy.

In his study, Sanjeev Krishna and his team looked at blood samples from more than 400 individuals, from different countries. One hundred and seventy of them had TB. The researchers were able to identify three proteins created in response to TB infection by the body's immune reaction