IRD South Africa launches innovative Childhood TB program

Interactive Research and Development South Africa (IRD SA) is a proud recipient of the TB Reach Wave 5 funding. IRD SA will be implementing a program focusing on identifying children under 5 with TB and people living with HIV. The program is titled “Accelerate and Strengthen the Pediatric, Neonatal and Perinatal cycle for TB and HIV Care and Improve Post-Exposure Management”.

This year long program will be implemented in two sub-districts of eThekwini Metro, South Central and Umlazi/Engonyameni in KwaZulu-Natal province; reaching a combined population of 1,068,313.

The project will increase awareness of TB in children and post exposure management (PEM) in communities by raising awareness in schools and early childhood developmental centers and through mass media communications and other innovative processes. For example, during adult and pediatric screening caregivers who consent to TB screening will be entered into an incentivized lottery system.

Another important aspect of the project is to improve contact tracing and reverse contact tracing in children and patients living with HIV. IRD SA will partner with the Department of Health and Ward Based Outreach teams to ensure that household members who have been in contact with a TB patient are screened. In addition the program will focus on perinatal, neonatal, pediatric emergency medicine and diagnosis in primary healthcare by training and mentoring champion nurses chosen by the District of Health.

Data collection, patient management and reporting will be improved through OpenMRS. Innovative reporting tools and instructional videos will also be developed to aid this improvement in data collection.

By combining health technology innovations with implementation expertise – IRD SA’s focus is to reimagine the way we tackle global healthcare.