TB Screening in High-burden Communities

Challenge

High TB burden areas of Karachi continue to face increasing cases of TB due to lack of access to care services. An urgent need for the eradication of TB from high TB burden areas means districts in Karachi require swift screenings and referral of all presumptives to prompt free-of-cost testing and treatment.

Approach

Initially, the TB REACH-funded project was set to follow the traditional KS school-based model with KSs trained and subsequently mobilized in locales. Given the rampant and immediate impact of COVID-19, the program re-strategize to a community-based approach which involved conducting community camps in high TB burden areas.

Impact

As of April 2021, the Kiran Sitara project has plugged into IRD’s integrated response model and is geared towards screening locales for TB and COVID-19, linking patients to the necessary facilities, conducting contact tracing of all COVID positive patients with mental health check-ins for TB patients.