Titre
Our actions : Tuberculosis
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
Tuberculosis is the world’s leading killer among infectious diseases. Every year 10 million people contract tuberculosis, and more than 30% of them go undiagnosed and untreated. In 2018, the disease killed 1.45 million people, 251,000 of whom were HIV-infected. Yet, in most cases, the disease is successfully treated with adequate treatment.
Along with drug-resistance in bacteria, non-detection among about 40% of those living with the disease is a major challenge in eliminating tuberculosis in the world. L'Initiative funds operational research projects that evaluate innovative strategies for improving screening and treatment.
Tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person by coughing and sneezing. A person with untreated active TB can infect up to 20 others in one year, which makes identifying people who are not yet diagnosed, treated or reported all the more urgent.
Ending the epidemic requires:
- Systematizing diagnostics by providing the countries concerned with adapted tools: X-ray equipment, sampling kits etc.
- Developing new treatments to deal with the emergence of drug-resistant forms of TB: 558,000 new resistant cases were reported in 2017.
We help health professionals to equip themselves and improve screening and care strategies.
Determining the best method of screening for TB in HIV-positive and diabetic patients.
Thus, a grant of nearly 1.3 million euros was provided to the National TB Control Programs (PNLT in French) in Benin, Guinea and Senegal to determine the best TB screening method in patients who are diabetic or living with HIV. Read more about the RAFAscreen project.
We also support research into new diagnostic and prevention tools to counteract the emergence of resistant forms of TB and to target very vulnerable populations, especially young children.
Improve screening for childhood TB
For the time period between 2017 and 2020, L'Initiative will be co-financing the TB Speed project with Unitaid. Implemented by an international consortium coordinated by Université de Bordeaux, this research project aims to systematize the diagnosis of tuberculosis in vulnerable children and to facilitate their access to treatment in seven countries in Africa and Asia.
We support national tuberculosis programs (NTPs), which are major stakeholders in the fight against the disease at country level: through technical support missions or financing of long-term programs, we support innovative projects and build capacity for all relevant actors.
Funding research stakeholders to support innovation:
In 2018, under the call for proposals dedicated to operational research, we have selected three projects aimed at improving the detection, treatment and prevention of tuberculosis:
- In Vietnam, the Zero Tuberculosis Vietnam Hope project will evaluate the national strategy for improving the tuberculosis 'cascade of care' from screening to treatment of all forms of infection, including multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and latent infection.
- In Cambodia, the Institut Pasteur project aims to increase the coverage of treatment for latent tuberculosis among people living with HIV in the country by 2020
- Finally, the Aprecit project is to evaluate an intra-family intervention model for the screening and management of latent infection in Cameroon and Madagascar.
Involving private clinics in the fight against tuberculosis
In Côte D’Ivoire, we supported the NTP to foster the integration of 10 private clinics in Abidjan in the fight against tuberculosis.
- Find out the brochure : "The 5% Initiative and the fight against tuberculosis"
