Priority Health Areas / Tuberculosis

One-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis (TB) bacilli, and a new infection occurs every second. People with weakened immune systems are especially vulnerable to becoming sick with the disease and, while incidence rates are falling or stable in most regions of the world, African countries with high HIV prevalence have experienced rapid increases in TB cases. Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death among people who are HIV-positive. The increasing disease burden from TB is exacerbated by the shortage of health workers that plagues most sub-Saharan African countries.

The Capacity Project assisted countries with workforce planning and interventions to strengthen and expand the delivery of proven and cost-effective strategies—such as Directly-Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS)—designed to speed TB case detection and improve cure rates.

The Capacity Project's activities in tuberculosis included:

1. Completing a human resources for health (HRH) performance appraisal for TB/HIV collaboration in Kenya and developing a draft HRH performance standards for TB/HIV collaboration services. Findings of the HRH performance appraisal were presented to TB/HIV stakeholders. The Project worked to ensure that the TB stakeholders formed a technical working group to work alongside government agencies in responding to HR needs specific to TB.
2. Working with USAID's Central America Regional Program to improve the capacity of the health workforce in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Panama to deliver comprehensive HIV/AIDS treatment and care, including TB coinfection
3. Strengthening HRH in Uganda to provide expanded, coordinated and collaborative TB and HIV services
4. Helping South Africa’s National TB Unit to improve tracking of training data.

See other areas in Priority Health Areas: HIV/AIDS; Family Planning/Reproductive Health