New open access online course in TB prevention launched at Union World Conference
The course, launched today (October 31) during a press conference on TB prevention, is entitled Prevent Tuberculosis: Management of TB Infection. The completely open access and online training programme is geared towards national TB and AIDS programme staff and clinicians, including paediatricians, pneumologists, general practice physicians, clinical officers, nurses and paramedical staff, and other health care workers involved in TB services.
Ensuring people have access to diagnosis and appropriate care at the earliest stage after exposure to TB is critical to reducing TB transmission and ending the epidemic. There are no scenarios in which we can end the global TB epidemic without a much greater focus on TB prevention.
The course is designed to improve knowledge in all aspects of management of TB infection, with the aim of increasing country-level implementation of TB prevention services. The course’s purpose is to support public health systems to improve TB preventive care for persons who have been exposed to TB bacteria, with emphasis on children under five years, people living with HIV and people who are household contacts of people with pulmonary TB and are at risk to develop TB disease.
Marianne Gaye-Ayrault, Global Training and Education Director said “We hope that with the help of this course public health systems will be able to improve TB preventative care for persons who have been exposed to TB bacteria.
"The course gives an emphasis on children under five years, people living with HIV and people who are household contacts of people with pulmonary TB”.
Learners who successfully complete the course receive an accredited certificate of completion.
The course includes six modules that together provide a comprehensive training on TB prevention:
- Module 1: Introduction to TB
- Module 2: Pathogenesis of TB
- Module 3: At-risk populations
- Module 4: Identifying TB infection
- Module 5: TB prevention therapy (TPT)
- Module 6: Implementation of TB prevention
As a supplement to the course, The Union also published an issue brief titled Advancing TB Prevention, available here.
The course is now available online to take in English, with French and Spanish versions available in 2020.
This project was made possible with the financial support of Sanofi. Sanofi had no input on the content of the issue brief.
Source: The Union
