October 3, 2022: CHS, through its USAID-funded TB ARC II activity in collaboration with the Ministry of Health’s National TB Program, hosted TB experts for a half-day Childhood and Adolescents Committee of Experts (COE) meeting.
The meeting aimed to provide a platform to review Childhood and Adolescents TB guidelines to incorporate new World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations for TB treatment. Among the recommendations discussed is the adoption of shorter regimens for Drug Sensitive (DS) TB in children, Drug Resistant (DR) TB treatment in children and TB Prevention Therapy for DR TB contacts.
Tuberculosis remains a major killer of children. It is estimated that 1.1 million children globally fell ill with TB in 2020. In Kenya, 5663 childhood TB cases were notified to the program representing 8% of all notified cases against a national target of 10% – 15%.
With support from USAID, CHS, through its TB ARC II project, is working with the National TB Program to:
- Improve TB case finding;
- Improve access to high-quality, patient-centered TB, DR-TB and TB/HIV services;
- Prevent TB transmission and disease progression;
- Strengthen TB service delivery platforms, and accelerate research and innovation with the ultimate goal of decreasing incidence, and TB related morbidity, and mortality among the most vulnerable – children, HIV-infected persons, HCWs, refugees, and other marginalised populations in line with the 90-95-0 targets to End the TB epidemic.
Meeting attendees included: TB implementing partners, counties, civil society, patient representatives and academia, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Turkana County, Stop TB Partnership-Kenya, Network of TB Champions-Kenya, and University of Nairobi.
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