In 2019, an estimated 10.0 million (range, 8.9 –11.0 million) people became ill with TB worldwide, of which 1.2 million were children. The vast majority of tuberculosis-related deaths occur in children that are not diagnosed and therefore not treated.
The TB-Speed Research Project is aiming at contributing to the reduction in childhood mortality from tuberculosis by improving the early detection and treatment of tuberculosis amongst children.
The objective of the TB-Speed Research Project is to produce a feasible and cost-effective strategy using innovative diagnosis tools and decentralized approaches improving childhood TB diagnosis developed and available for implementation in high TB-burden settings.
The TB-Speed Research Project is conducted in seven countries: Cambodia, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. In Cambodia, it is conducted by the Clinical Research Group, Epidemiology and Public Health Unit of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge, in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Program and several health facilities in the country. It is funded by UNITAID and L’Initiative – Expertise France.