TB-CRE
PEARL - Dr Amanda Christensen and Dr Mikaela Coleman
Dr Amanda Christensen and Dr Mikaela Coleman present the PEARL study at the TBCRE 2021 Symposium (27 May 2021).
https://www.tbcre.org.au/
"The study, Pathway to the Elimination of Antibiotic Resistant and Latent tuberculosis in the Pacific (PEARL), will screen every person aged 3 & older in a population of more that 60,000 people in South Tarawa. Each person will be tested for TB disease or infection by tuberculin skin testing, chest X-ray and/or sputum testing. People with active TB will be referred for TB treatment, and those with LTBI will be treated with preventative therapy to diminish the pool of future disease activation.
The PEARL study utilises concepts of whole population screening and active case finding, which was shown by TB-CRE researchers and PEARL study researchers Professor Guy Marks and Associate Professor Greg Fox to halve TB over 4 years in the Asia-Pacific context of Vietnam (the ACT5 trial). The wealth of expertise in TB control and elimination within the TB-CRE has been looked to in the development of this exciting study.
The project, in collaboration with the Australian Respiratory Council (ARC) further incorporates capacity building and education in TB control for Kiribati and 6 other Pacific Island nations. Cost-effectiveness and strategy modelling for the improvement of TB elimination studies will be included by study colleagues working in Melbourne at Monash University under the leadership of Associate Professor James Trauer.
The research is being funded under the Medical Research Future Fund’s Global Health Initiative, which focuses on AMR and DR-TB as threats to global and national health security. "
https://www.tbcre.org.au/post/4-25-million-for-tb-control-in-the-pacific
