The Indus Health Network (IHN) in collaboration with Interactive Research and development continues to implement innovative initiatives in Pakistan to reduce the burden of TB. IHN is the principal recipient for the MDR-TB – a grant awarded by The Global Fund for Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Through the grant Zero TB initiatives in Karachi and Peshawar are being implemented in partnership with public and private sector partners. IHN has been successful in delivery of innovative services and best practices for TB at scale and these efforts have been recognized by WHO in the GLOBAL TUBERCULOSIS REPORT 2019.
The report says, “The Indus Health Network has implemented 3HP among household contacts of drug-susceptible TB patients aged over 2 years in two large cities in Pakistan. This has been done in collaboration with Interactive Research & Development (IRD) and provincial TB programs, with financial support from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Between October 2016 and June 2019, 36,310 household contacts of 9,751 patients with pulmonary TB in Karachi and Peshawar were approached. Of these, 81% were verbally screened for TB symptoms, and invited for chest radiography and other investigations. In total, 11,558 (43%) contacts were investigated, of whom 212 (2%) were diagnosed with active TB and initiated on treatment. The remaining contacts who had normal chest radiography, negative sputum tests and unremarkable clinical evaluations were considered eligible for TB preventive treatment. Of these 11,346 contacts, 6,816 (60%) agreed to start 3HP. The latest data show a completion rate of 70%.”
