The 24th of March each year is marked as World TB Day. It is commemorated with activities aimed at drawing attention to the need to work towards elimination of TB. The theme for this year is ‘Invest to End TB- Save Lives. It is to convey the urgent need to invest resources to ramp up the fight against TB and achieve the commitments to end TB made by global leaders.
Over the past five years, Afrique One-ASPIRE with funding from the Welcome Trust and co-funding organizations has invested in TB through research by building the capacity of young African scientists in TB research. Under the thematic (TTP) training program Mycobacteria infections, 1 Postdoc, 4 PhD and 3 MSc fellows based in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania have been conducting research on various forms of TB (Bovine, Extra pulmonary, latent, paediatric, zoonotic, non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and drug resistant TB). The studies are aimed at improving tools for diagnosis, speciation, and detection of drug resistance in mycobacteria isolates causing TB, including those with Zoonotic potential. Results of some of the studies have been published in peer review journals, and or presented at scientific conferences to inform policy.
Investment in TB research is money well spent! Are you also investing to end TB?