The TB REACH Initiative: Supporting TB Elimination Efforts in the Asia-Pacific

Trop Med Infect Dis. 2020 Oct 26;5(4):164. doi: 10.3390/tropicalmed5040164.

Abstract

After many years of TB 'control' and incremental progress, the TB community is talking about ending the disease, yet this will only be possible with a shift in the way we approach the TB response. While the Asia-Pacific region has the highest TB burden worldwide, it also has the opportunity to lead the quest to end TB by embracing the four areas laid out in this series: using data to target hotspots, initiating active case finding, provisioning preventive TB treatment, and employing a biosocial approach. The Stop TB Partnership's TB REACH initiative provides a platform to support partners in the development, evaluation and scale-up of new and innovative technologies and approaches to advance TB programs. We present several approaches TB REACH is taking to support its partners in the Asia-Pacific and globally to advance our collective response to end TB.

Keywords: End TB; TB REACH; TB preventive therapy; active case finding; innovation; tuberculosis.