MSH at the 53rd Union World Conference on Lung Health

Addressing this year’s conference theme, “Combating Pandemics: Today & Tomorrow,” the MSH delegation shared our work providing TB care in conflict settings in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia; the importance of mobilizing global policy making and local leadership; the social and economic consequences of TB treatment; and how targeted and integrated screening and testing for TB and COVID-19 can reduce transmission and occurrence of these diseases in conflict settings, now and into the future. 

MSH Symposia

Providing TB Care Under Conflict Settings: An Overview of the Global Guidance and Lessons from Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and Ukraine 

November 11th

9:00 am – 10:20 am EST

• Over the last few years, a combination of natural disasters, COVID-19, and social conflicts have impacted the national health systems of many countries. Such shocks can weaken health systems by modifying community-level service supply and demand and by affecting social determinants of health. The impact is particularly visible on programs with measurable indicators, as is the case with national TB programs. Moderated by MSH’s Pedro G. Suarez, this symposium 1) reviewed the existing global guidance on how to provide TB services in humanitarian settings, and 2) shared lessons from countries that have been affected by conflicts and other shocks. 

From Domestic Resource Mobilization to Global Policy Making: How Can TB Get Its “Fair Share” of Financing? 

November 11th

9:00 am – 10:20 am EST 

• TB is the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 and the 13th leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the high burden of disease, and the fact that TB disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable, funding for TB persistently falls short of the need. Why does TB still not receive its “fair share” of financing, and what can be done to address this problem? This symposium, moderated by MSH’s Zina Jarrah, explored the challenges and opportunities of financing TB sustainably, from incremental national reforms to driving policy change at the global level. 

Oral Presentations: 

Ethiopia’s USAID Eliminate TB Project

Stakeholder Engagement Improved Uptake and Turnaround Time of GeneXpert Test Results in Ethiopia 

• Specimen referral is critical for early sputum pick-up, shipment, test performance, and result feedback. In Ethiopia, the system is designed in an integrated manner and run by the postal courier service. The specimen referral service needs a reliable tracking system at each level among referring, testing, and courier service providers. 

Engaging Local Organizations Improved Community TB Care and Can Help with Sustainability in Ethiopia 

• The proportion of community TB contribution to all TB cases has never been more than 20% in Ethiopia. The involvement of local organizations in community TB care has improved community TB contribution, contact investigation, and tuberculosis preventive treatment coverage as compared to other comparable districts. 

e-Poster Presentations: 

Ethiopia’s USAID Eliminate TB Project 

• Two-thirds of TB patients and their families experienced catastrophic costs in Ethiopia

• Food insecurity and asset sales: Overcoming TB-related household expenditures in Ethiopia

• Residents of missionary centers, mine workers, and prisoners are key populations affected by TB in Ethiopia

• Impact of COVID-19 on treatment outcomes of drug-resistant tuberculosis in Ethiopia

• Community-based contact screening to enhance TPT uptake of household contacts in Sidama and SNNP regions

• Public-private mix for tuberculosis faces challenges and opportunities in Ethiopia

• Enhanced TB case finding offset the anticipated reduction in TB case notification due to conflict in Ethiopia

• Workable strategies for active TB case finding among goldminers in Ethiopia

• Orientation of clinicians at high load health facilities improved TB cases notification in Ethiopia

• Standard of care-based technical support improves data quality: Experience from Ethiopia

• Increasing trend of bacteriological confirmation among pediatric TB cases: Experience of Ethiopia

• Internally displaced people and COVID-19 patients are emerging vulnerable populations for TB in Ethiopia

• Mapping the burden of TB in Ethiopia: A practical approach to develop targeted interventions

• Access to GeneXpert and yield of TB across different outpatient department settings in Ethiopia

• GeneXpert devices module failure and underutilization: the major changes in Ethiopia GeneXpert MTB/RIF assay rollout: a retrospective study

Ethiopia — FIND/ACT-A Project 

• TB/COVID-19 integrated screening: Preliminary lessons learned from the ACT-A Project in Ethiopia

Assistance for Families and Indigent Afghans to Thrive (AFIAT) 

• Role of specimen referral systems on early detection of rifampicin resistant tuberculosis in Afghanistan

Afghanistan Urban Health Initiative (UHI) 

• Role of decentralized ambulatory DR-TB care in treatment outcomes in Afghanistan

• Exploring the role of the public-private-mix (PPM) in TB care in Afghanistan

• Contribution of a virtual community of practice using the Project ECHO (Extending Community Health Care Outcome) model to clinical management of DR-TB patients in Afghanistan

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For more than 20 years, we have managed complex TB projects, partnering with public- and private-sector partners to develop quality and sustainable solutions at all levels of the health system to meet the needs of communities affected by TB. Read more about our work on TB.