The risks associated with TB infection transmission have increased significantly with the HIV epidemic, and TB is a leading cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS. To help address this issue, The Union has developed a new three-day intensive course on TB infection control that is available in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The first two offerings were recently held in Ecuador.
The goals of the course are to create knowledge and understanding of simple, effective practices to prevent TB transmission in settings with limited resources and to promote collaboration among different key health providers to concretely plan, implement and monitor infection control measures that take into consideration the country context.
The course includes an overview of the pathogenesis of TB and HIV, factors that increase the risk of transmission, how to conduct a basic risk assessment in a health facility, various possible measures to control TB infection (including TB prevention through vaccines and prophylaxis), the importance of community involvement, ethical and social issues related to TB control, and some of the gaps in current knowledge and research.
The teaching methods include In-class and field-based group practical exercises, and, as a final project, participants develop an infection control plan, including basic indicators to monitor its implementation and evaluate its impact.
The two sessions in Ecuador were offered at the request of the Ecuador National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) and were attended by 58 physicians, nurses, epidemiologists, TB coordinators and Health Area coordinators. All of these different stakeholders in infection control actively contributed to the many lively discussions.
Two months later, 40 of them had developed TB infection control plans. Representatives from The Union and the NTP subsequently visited nine facilities in the provinces of Pichincha and Guayaquil to evaluate the plans and assist in their implementation and follow-up.
The TB infection control course aims to contribute to a comprehensive and integrated approach to TB control in low- and medium-income settings, especially those affected by the dual TB and HIV epidemics.
Countries may request the course in Spanish, Portuguese or English. For further information, please contact tbhiv-courses@theunion.org.
Clockwise from upper left: Participants from the training in Guayaquil, Ecuador; participants drawing a map of patient flow in a health facility to evaluate the risks of transmission; respirator fit testing; presentation of a TB infection control draft plan..
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