Tuesday 29 March was World TB day. The WHO estimates in 2020 10 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. Just 30 countries accounted for 86% of new cases. The burden of TB is extremely high, especially in South African communities and amongst people living with HIV and men. Much more must be done to reduce TB to reach international goals to end TB by 2035.
We’ve been working with International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) and the TREATS consortium to to develop the final report for the PopART intervention on TB. This intervention delivered combined population-wide testing and treatment for HIV and TB, delivered in households by community health workers, to approximately 600,000 individuals in Zambia and South Africa. The project has taken over four years from inception to completion and has involved significant scientific and academic collaboration.
The TB epidemic is complicated – even though TB is preventable and curable stigma plays a major role in its continued impact. The TREATS project highlights the importance of community-led approaches to screening for both TB and HIV, as well as improved capacity building at a local level for future clinical trials and research.
Read more here.
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