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Interactive booklet and pillboxes improve DR-TB treatment adherence

The treatment of Drug- Resistant TB (DR-TB) treatment has rapidly evolved over the last five years with the first new oral DR-TB drug, Bedaquiline, being introduced into the NDOH DR-TB programme in 2017. Following the successful introduction of Bedaquiline into a nine-month all-oral regimen, all treatments for DR-TB in South Africa were transitioned into injection (Kanamycin)- free regimens in 2018. Despite these advances, the treatment regimens for DR-TB remain complex, with patients requiring seven different drugs (up to 17 tablets daily) on the nine-month short regimen; and at least five different drugs (up to 12 tablets daily) on the 18-month long [...]

Outreach teams are trained to make a difference in their communities

Building the capacity of community outreach teams is one of the priorities of South Africa’s National TB Program (NTP) to improve contact tracing, screening and linkage to TB Preventative Therapy (TPT). Outreach teams consist of community healthcare workers who act as liaisons between communities and their nearest health care facility. At the beginning of 2021, the uMkhanyakude district Department of Health (DoH) requested training on COVID-19, TB and HIV for 20 of their newly employed outreach team members to increase the impact of these teams in their communities. Since health system strengthening and capacity building are prioritized activities of the USAID [...]

USAID TB LON-SAFT impact at East Boom CHC appreciated

During June, the TB/Integrated Services Team Lead for USAID Southern Africa, Ms Cindy Dlamini, visited the East Boom Community Health Centre (CHC) in uMgungundlovu Health District. The visit was facilitated by the USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme, implemented by THINK and the facility management team from the Department of Health. The aim of the visit was for Ms Dlamini to review the impact of the Direct Service Delivery (DSD) support that the USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme team is providing to the CHC. The TB LON Programme team consists of an enrolled nurse, an enrolled nurse assistant and a data clerk. The Programme [...]

Data verification and clean up exercises help improve quality of TB data in eThekwini health facilities

As part of Operation Phuthuma, a 10 Point Plan for Acceleration initiated by the Department of Health (DoH) to improve health service delivery in the country, the eThekwini District DoH embarked on monthly HIV & AIDS, STI and TB (HAST) Programme data clean-up exercises. During February and March 2021, the USAID TB LON-SAFT team collaborated with the district TB Prevention and Control Programme to conduct data verification exercises in health care facilities in eThekwini. The USAID TB LON-SAFT team developed a template for data verifications and it has since been adopted by facilities throughout the entire district. A total of 18 [...]

Nurses share stories from the COVID-19 pandemic for International Nurses Day

On the 12th May 2021, International Nurses’ Day was celebrated and commemorated after a year marked by unknowns, fears, and heavy workloads for most nurses due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, nurses across the world have faced these challenges and shown innovation and selfless care to millions of patients at health care facilities and at home. The theme of the campaign was “A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare” and aimed to highlight the important role that nurses play in keeping people healthy, how nurses are innovating healthcare and to explore what nursing may look like in [...]

TB awareness raising as the “clock is ticking” on World TB Day

To commemorate World TB Day on the 24th March 2021, teams from the USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme implemented by THINK, organized various events in March and April. The World TB Day theme for this year was “The Clock is Ticking” conveying a reminder that the world is running out of time to act on the commitments made by global leaders to end TB by 2030. USAID TB LON-SAFT teams in eThekwini district provided TB, HIV, COVID-19 and diabetes screening, testing and other health services in partnership with Health Systems Trust’s mobile clinic at Molweni sports ground. Team members wore T-shirts conveying [...]

The USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme implemented by THINK

The USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme was initially awarded to the Tuberculosis and HIV Investigative Network (THINK) to implement in the uMgungundlovu district of KwaZulu-Natal province from 1 October 2019 to 30 September 2020. The aim was to strengthen the drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) service delivery platform in the district. An extension of this award followed to include drug-susceptible TB (DS-TB) as well for a period from 01 October 2020 until 30 September 2022 and the implementation area was expanded to also include uMkhanyakude, eThekwini in KwaZulu-Natal and three districts in the Eastern Cape province namely Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, Sarah Baartman and [...]

THINK screens first patients for TB-CHAMP trial assessing levofloxacin as a preventive therapy for DR-TB

Young children and HIV-positive individuals are at high risk of developing tuberculosis (TB) disease following exposure and infection to the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) bacteria. In the absence of appropriate preventive therapy, M.tb-infected children under the age of five have a 50% risk of developing TB. More than 90% of children that are exposed to M.tb and who progress to disease, will do so within 12 months while the majority of the remainder will progress in the next 12 months. On a global scale, approximately 1.2 million children contract TB every year, with an estimated 200,000 children needlessly dying from the [...]

USG Consul General visits KwaMsane clinic in uMkhanyakude

During the month of June, the USG Consul General (represented by Anne Linnee, Elizabeth Orlando and Baphiwe Nxumalo, the liaison for PEPFAR in the province) and USAID South Africa (represented by Kevin Sturr, the Deputy Mission Director and Phyllis Pholoholo, a project management specialist in TB/HIV clinical care) were introduced to the USAID TB LON-SAFT team in Hlabisa, a subdistrict of uMkhanyakude. The introductory visit started at the Richard’s Bay THINK offices where an overview was given of the ongoing work of the USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme in the district and the USAID mission’s support of TB work in the country. [...]

Homeless Shelter in Durban residents screen and test for TB

In June 2021, the USAID TB LON-SAFT Programme implemented by THINK conducted a TB Screening Outreach campaign at the Block A.K Homeless Shelter in Durban in collaboration with the eThekwini Municipality, Beatrice Street Primary Health Care (PHC) facility and Stop TB Partnership. The campaign was initiated by the THINK Programme team after learning about a resident from the shelter who was diagnosed and initiated on treatment at the Beatrice PHC the month before. Two other residents were also being treated for TB. Block A.K Homeless Shelter is a charity dependent residence for homeless people that is managed by the eThekwini Municipality. [...]

Bonginkosi’s Story – THINK’s 240th patient in the MSF clinical trial study

"When I told my wife that I was going to be hospitalized for a long time, she couldn't stop crying." Bonginkosi Emmanuel Mkhize is a 32-year-old refrigerator mechanic based in Durban, South Africa. He is the 240th patient to participate in the MSF study. The aim of this research: to find a new cure for resistant tuberculosis. Tuberculosis Durban is the largest city in the KwaZulu-Natal province, on the east coast of South Africa. It is known as a surfer's mecca. And it is the city with one of the largest commercial seaports in the world. KwaZula-Natal province is the second province in South [...]

Dr Staples is awarded the EDCTP -TDR Clinical Research & Development Fellowship

In September 2017 Doctor Suzanne Staples left for the Netherlands for 1 year as the recipient of the EDCTP -TDR Clinical Research & Development Fellowship. The aim of the fellowship is to build capacity in African researchers through placement at a European Scientific research organisation. Through this placement fellows learn and understand the operation of a scientific clinical research organization, to improve their capacity for conducting future research.  To this end, Dr. Staples was welcomed at Julius Clinical based in Zeist, The Netherlands. A scientific Clinical Research Organisation.Her personal objective for her time abroad was to improve her research capacity in [...]

World TB Day, 2015

On 24 March 1882, Dr. Robert Koch announced that he has discovered the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. It is for this reason that World TB Day is held annually on this day. However, it is not a celebration. We can only celebrate once we have managed to End TB.While in our daily work we are making difference to ensure that this global goal is met by 2035 in our daily work, we rallied together for World TB Day to host a TB day in Durban and Pietermaritzburg to share knowledge about TB and connect with the communities we work in.Our School [...]

Harvard Students attend THINK’s course on Translational Medicine

In June, 15 post graduate students from Harvard Medical School missed a flight from the US to attend a course in Translational Medicine hosted by THINK in South Africa. Last minute travel re-arrangements and reshuffling of the week-long course programme enabled the students to still be the first to inaugurate the new THINK Board Room at Florida road in Durban. The course aimed to identify Unmet Medical Needs and Translational Solutions to engage future biomedical research leaders in the practice of translational medicine. The students were exposed to various health care settings and community events to come face to face with [...]

THINK move into new Headquarters

Excited and motivated staff have moved into our new headquarter in 324 Florida road in central Durban. For the first time, the full management can sit together with access to their own boardroom and meeting facilities. An independent research clinic is also located on the premises with state of the art equipment, appropriate infection control, and separate staff working areas.

World TB Day, 2014

In celebration of TB World Day on the 24th of March 2014 THINK arranged a vibrant event at Umkhumbane Secondary School with live performances, inspirational talks, and TB screening. The famous Durban-born baritone singer from London, Njabulo Madlala, inspired crowds of learners with his visit. He talked about “Inspiration” and the ability to achieve anything in life through commitment and hard work. He was backed by his two South African based colleagues, who are being coached by Njabulo on his trip to South Africa. They performed heart warming and beautiful song numbers. The event was backed by the eThekwini District Department [...]

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