The 39th Union World Conference on Lung Health has been held at a time when there are many exciting developments to report on tuberculosis but the need for increased funding for research is nevertheless apparent.

Another important event within the last couple of weeks has been the publication of the annual World Health Report. It appears almost exactly 30 years after the historic Alma Ata conference which led to an emphasis on primary health care (PHC). The World Health Organization says that, to address persisting health inequalities, a return to the spirit of Alma Ata is required.

China has undergone many changes in recent years. The impact of these changes has been discussed in a series of articles in the Lancet. There is no doubt at all that China has much to contribute towards the global battle against the infectious disease of poverty. TropIKA.net has recently highlighted a number of studies on infectious diseases conducted within China from which there are lessons for other nations. For example, a trial has been reported which examined the safety and efficacy of combined praziquantel and artemether treatment for schistosomiasis. Another Chinese trial has shown the drug tribendimidine to be effective against hookworm, roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and threadworm.

Research that will lead to the development of new vaccines is often reported on TropIKA.net but the development of an efficacious vaccine should never be regarded as the final goal. There are many diseases which can be prevented by vaccines already available, but strategies must still be found to deliver those vaccines to those who need them. Pneumococcal disease is one of the biggest infectious killers of poor people, particularly children. There is now a vaccine and it is coming into use in richer nations. A UK parliamentary group is campaigning for the vaccine to be introduced in developing countries, and also for other action to be taken against this infection.

And of course even effective vaccines can be improved. Encouraging news comes from Nigeria where a polio vaccine that only requires one dose, instead of three, has been shown to be effective.

Amongst the recent research that has been the subject of commentaries on TropIKA.net, have been two important genomic studies on malaria. The completion of the P. vivax genome provides the scientific community with a valuable resource that can be used to advance investigation into this relatively neglected species. The genome of the simian and human malaria parasite P. knowlesi has also been published. Both studies were published by Nature which is not of course an open-access journal. However, Nature has taken the decision to make these two articles freely available.

Other important studies on which we have commented include a systematic review which looked at hookworm-related anaemia during pregnancy. Based on their findings, the reviewers call for improved deworming programmes for pregnant women. And there is good news from Peru, where a study found that extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis could be successfully managed in out-patients. (The patients in the study were not HIV infected.)