This week WAidid suggests the article WHO launches a Global Action Framework for TB Research and creates a new TB research team that has two fundamental objectives: 1) To promote, enhance and intensify TB research and innovation at country level, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, through the development of country-specific TB research plans and strong research capacity. 2) To promote, enhance and catalyse TB research at global level through advocacy, sharing innovations, discussion of global priorities in TB research and development of regional and international networks for research and capacity building.  It is designed for use by a wide range of groups and individuals including ministries of health and their national TB programmes, ministries of science and technology, national research institutes, academia, researchers, international and national donors and technical agencies, NGOs and civil society.

SUMMARY:
WHO today launched a new Global Action Framework for TB Research to foster high-quality national and global TB research needed to end the TB epidemic. To facilitate the implementation of this new Framework and to support the promotion of TB research both at global and country levels, a new research team has been set up in the WHO Global TB Programme. There has been important progress in the fight against TB with the 2014 death rate nearly half that of 1990. “Research is critical to break the trajectory of the epidemic and reach the global End TB targets. Without research we will not have the necessary tools to drive down deaths and suffering as targeted by the End TB Strategy”, said Dr Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global TB Programme. “Countries with the biggest burdens of disease must be leaders in driving more energy and investment in research.”

AUTHOR: WHO, Global TB Programme

To read the article online, click here.