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Groundbreaking TB researcher named AAMRI Rising Star

Dr Kefyalew Alene, who heads the Geospatial and Tuberculosis team at The Kids and is a senior research fellow within the Curtin School of Population Health, has used cutting edge technology to transform the way TB transmission is predicted, understood and managed globally.

Prevention better than cure in race to slash rates of TB

The first global review of the effectiveness of current strategies to fight tuberculosis has found preventive therapy is the most effective intervention strategy.  

Mapping Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination coverage in Africa from 1990 to 2022: a novel spatiotemporal modelling study

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) protects children from severe tuberculosis and remains the only licensed vaccine for tuberculosis. Subnational estimates of BCG coverage are essential for identifying underserved populations across Africa. This study aimed to map BCG vaccination coverage in Africa from 1990 to 2022. 

Geospatial mapping of drug-resistant tuberculosis prevalence in Africa at national and sub-national levels

o map subnational and local prevalence of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) across Africa. We assembled a geolocated dataset from 173 sources across 31 African countries, comprising drug susceptibility test results and covariate data from publicly available databases. We used Bayesian model-based geostatistical framework with multivariate Bayesian logistic regression model to estimate DR-TB prevalence at lower administrative levels.

Health system and environmental factors affecting global progress towards achieving End TB targets between 2015 and 2020

Health system and environmental factors play a significant role in achieving the World Health Organization End Tuberculosis (TB) targets. However, quantitative measures are scarce or non-existent at a global level. We aimed to measure the progress made towards meeting the global End TB milestones from 2015 to 2020 and identify health system and environmental factors contributing to the success.

Burden of drug-resistant tuberculosis among contacts of index cases: A protocol for a systematic review

People having close contact with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) patients are at increased risk of contracting and developing the disease. However, no comprehensive review has been undertaken to estimate the burden of DR-TB among contacts of DR-TB patients. Therefore, the current systematic review will quantify the prevalence and incidence of DR-TB among contacts of DR-TB patients.

Economic burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis on patients and households: a global systematic review and meta-analysis

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a major health threat worldwide, causing a significant economic burden to patients and their families. Due to the longer duration of treatment and expensive second-line medicine, the economic burden of MDR-TB is assumed to be higher than drug-susceptible TB.

Geospatial Overlap of Undernutrition and Tuberculosis in Ethiopia

Undernutrition is a key driver of the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, yet there is limited understanding regarding the spatial overlap of both diseases. This study aimed to determine the geographical co-distribution and socio-climatic factors of undernutrition and TB in Ethiopia.

Comparative effectiveness of interventions for preventing tuberculosis: systematic review and network meta-analysis of interventional studies

Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading infectious cause of death globally. Several preventive measures are employed to prevent TB, yet there is a paucity of evidence on the effectiveness of these interventions. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the most effective interventions for reducing TB incidence.

Effect of integrating traditional care with modern healthcare to improve tuberculosis control programs in Ethiopia: a protocol for a cluster-randomized controlled trial

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the world, despite being a preventable and curable disease. The World Health OrganizationEnd-TB Strategy, aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, sets a target of reducing the TB mortality rate by 95%, TB incidence rate by 90%, and catastrophic costs due to TB by 2035, compared with a 2015 level. To achieve these ambitious targets, several interventions have been implemented in the last few years, resulting in major progress toward reducing the burden of TB.