Building on the successful model of the DETECT Child TB project, The Union secured funding to continue the project past the pilot phase and expand the model to introduce HIV testing for people sharing a home with someone with active TB.
Of the 539 children screened for TB in 2018, 83.7 percent had an unknown HIV status. All the children that reached the health clinics were given an HIV test and all those found to be HIV positive were linked to care.
The project is now aiming to improve preventive therapy uptake for children older than five years and to implement an electronic system to track TB household contact investigations and HIV-positive contacts of people with active TB into care. This model has been introduced in 21 health facilities in two districts, as of December 2018.
This work is supported by funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).