Global Health Impact: Stronger Health Systems Stop TB and Save Lives

December 07, 2015

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Global Health Impact: Stronger Health Systems Stop TB and Save Lives

Chronic Diseases

Fragile States

Health Systems Strengthening

HIV & AIDS

Universal Health Coverage

US Global Health Policy

Women & Gender

Photo credit: Warren Zelman

This blog post is a web-formatted version of the Global Health Impact newsletter: Stronger Health Systems Stop TB and Save Lives (December 2015). (View or share the email version here.) We welcome your feedback and questions in the comments or email us. On social media, use hashtag #GlobalHealthImpact and tag @MSHHealthImpact. Subscribe

An estimated two billion people worldwide are infected with mycobacterium tuberculosis, more commonly known as tuberculosis, or TB. Despite major successes reducing global TB prevalence and mortality rates, TB is the single greatest infectious disease killer globally, surpassing HIV & AIDS. In 2014, 1.5 million people died from TB, including about 400,000 who also had HIV.

TB is preventable, diagnosable, and curable. Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is working in 15 countries with international, national, and local partners to strengthen the capacity of health systems, national TB programs, and health managers to improve the lives of those affected by TB and prevent its spread. Our work addresses all elements of the health system: service delivery; leadership, management, and governance; medical products and technologies; health financing; health information; and human resources.

We consistently apply evidence-informed knowledge and technical expertise to highly complex environments and in fragile states -- Afghanistan, South Sudan, Uganda, and others -- where TB services are most desperately needed -- and among the poorest and most vulnerable populations, especially women and children.

As the global public health community gathers at the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health to look beyond 2015, MSH re-affirms our commitment to empower countries to build lasting, whole-health, people-centered systems that save lives by incorporating the latest evidence and best practices on TB care and control. This ensures that the TB control strategies and standard operating procedures put in place are both effective and long lasting -- saving more lives and improving the health of people, communities, and nations. Read more from Dr. Pedro Suarez

MSH at 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health

Nearly 50 MSH staff are in Cape Town, South Africa to participate in the 46th Union World Conference on Lung Health, lead 4 workshops, and present 22 posters, 6 oral presentations, and 8 symposiums.

Real World Medicines Monitoring: MSH Project Launches New Tool for Improved Pharmacovigilance at # WCLH2015

#WCLH2015).]{Photo credit: Warren Zelman}" style="float: none;">The USAID-funded, MSH-led, Systems for Improved Access to Pharmaceuticals and Services (SIAPS) Program is launching a new tool to systematize monitoring of medicines-related safety and effectiveness in low- and middle-income countries this week at the Union World Conference on Lung Health (#WCLH2015).Photo credit: Warren Zelman

Related: More # WCLH2015 updates from MSH staff

Feature

Challenge TB is the primary mechanism for implementing USAID's vision of a world free of TB and its global End TB Strategy. Challenge TB also contributes to TB and HIV activities under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). MSH leads implementation of Challenge TB in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and South Sudan.