EQUI - TB Knowledge Programme Quality Assured TB Care for Poor People in Resource Constrained settings 2001 – 2006 Purpose: To promote implementation of pro - poor strategies, which enhance care and support for TB among the poorest Objectives: 1.New Knowledge about improved accessibility of quality assured TB care for the poor and disadvantaged 2.Approaches to reducing the threat of multi-drug resistant TB 3.Strengthened Research Capacity 4.New Knowledge into Policy and Practice Research partnership  3 organisations in countries with high TB incidence (Malawi, Zambia, China)  2 UK organisations (LSTM, UCL)  A platform of personnel and infrastructure with specified knowledge outputs.  Core funding is from DFID. New Knowledge about improved accessibility of quality assured TB care for the poor and disadvantages 1.Systematic analysis of poverty and TB 2.Analysis of gender issues in Malawi TB Control 3.Development of newer, more sensitive serological tests for TB 4.Dynamics of TB in Zambian Prisons 5.TB Vaccine using the new TB vaccine antigen candidates (VACSEL) 6.Development of quality assurance processes within the Malawian NTP 7.Development of community based initiatives with urban retail shops 8.Analysis of socio – economic factors affecting access to TB care and treatment of TB patients in China 9.Analyses of National TB Prevalence data in relation to socio-economic indicators in China New Knowledge around TB /HIV 1.Joint investigation to understand patient adherence to Anti Retroviral Therapy in Malawi 2.Equi-TB Malawi commissioned to write a technical paper on Equity in Health Sector responses to HIV/AIDS in Malawi 3.Evaluation of co – trimoxazole in post natal HIV positive women in Zambia 4.Evaluation of co – trimoxazole prophylaxis for TB patients co infected with HIV in Zambia and South Africa Approaches to reducing the threat of multi-drug resistant TB 1.Malawian National MDR Survey – documentation of primary and secondary drug resistance. 2.Nested social study exploring MDR TB patient understanding and previous use of anti TB drugs. 3.Malawi DOTS-Plus Pilot Project Strengthened Research Capacity 1.Human Resource base for EQUI - TB strengthened 2.Development of a short course in Gender, Health and Communicable Disease 3.Mechanism of training social scientists in country in Malawi piloted by TB Equity project 4.Chinese travelling fellowship scheme 5.Zambia – workshops on stats and lab practice New Knowledge into Policy and Practice 1.New knowledge fed into TB pilot in Benue State, Nigeria 2.WHO commissioned theme development on TB and Poverty – Systematic Analysis and development of a proposal for a STOP TB Network on TB and Poverty 3.Vulnerability review paper (collaborative piece of work between HIV, Malaria and TB Knowledge Programmes) Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine UK Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, RF&UCLMS, UK National TB Control Programme, Malawi Fudan University & NTP China University Teaching Hospital Zambia Nigeria Ethiopia South Africa Thailand Burkina Faso Sweden Belgium EQUI – TB PARTNERSHIP Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine