Purpose: To promote implementation of pro - poor strategies,

1. EQUI - TB Knowledge ProgrammeQuality Assured TB Care for Poor People in Resource Constrained settings 2001 – 2006 Purpose: To promote implementation of pro - poor strategies, which enhance care and support for TB among the poorest • Objectives: • New Knowledge about improved accessibility of quality assured TB care for the poor and disadvantaged • Approaches to reducing the threat of multi-drug resistant TB • Strengthened Research Capacity • New Knowledge into Policy and Practice Research partnership • 3 organisations in countries with high TB incidence (Malawi, Zambia, China) • 2 UK organisations (LSTM, UCL) • A platform of personnel and infrastructure with specified knowledge outputs. • Core funding is from DFID. • New Knowledge into Policy and Practice • New knowledge fed into TB pilot in Benue State, Nigeria • WHO commissioned theme development on TB and Poverty – Systematic Analysis and development of a proposal for a STOP TB Network on TB and Poverty • Vulnerability review paper (collaborative piece of work between HIV, Malaria and TB Knowledge Programmes) Belgium EQUI – TB PARTNERSHIP Thailand • New Knowledge about improved accessibility of quality assured TB care for the poor and disadvantages • Systematic analysis of poverty and TB • Analysis of gender issues in Malawi TB Control • Development of newer, more sensitive serological tests for TB • Dynamics of TB in Zambian Prisons • TB Vaccine using the new TB vaccine antigen candidates (VACSEL) • Development of quality assurance processes within the Malawian NTP • Development of community based initiatives with urban retail shops • Analysis of socio – economic factors affecting access to TB care and treatment of TB patients in China • Analyses of National TB Prevalence data in relation to socio-economic indicators in China Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, RF&UCLMS,UK Burkina Faso University Teaching Hospital Zambia Sweden Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine UK National TB Control Programme, Malawi Ethiopia Fudan University & NTP China South Africa Nigeria • New Knowledge around TB /HIV • Joint investigation to understand patient adherence to Anti Retroviral Therapy in Malawi • Equi-TB Malawi commissioned to write a technical paper on Equity in Health Sector responses to HIV/AIDS in Malawi • Evaluation of co – trimoxazole in post natal HIV positive women in Zambia • Evaluation of co – trimoxazole prophylaxis for TB patients co infected with HIV in Zambia and South Africa • Approaches to reducing the threat of multi-drug resistant TB • Malawian National MDR Survey – documentation of primary and secondary drug resistance. • Nested social study exploring MDR TB patient understanding and previous use of anti TB drugs. • Malawi DOTS-Plus Pilot Project • Strengthened Research Capacity • Human Resource base for EQUI - TB strengthened • Development of a short course in Gender, Health and Communicable Disease • Mechanism of training social scientists in country in Malawi piloted by TB Equity project • Chinese travelling fellowship scheme • Zambia – workshops on stats and lab practice Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine