Very exciting to see this out. Massive lift from team, highlighting how we need to dare to think big if we want to make a meaningful dent in the ongoing ongoing burden of TB. We will not get there by small steps. Instead should focus on how to make possible the apparently impossible.

Katherine Horton@kchorton.bsky.social · 2mo ago

Our new paper in @nathealth.nature.com shows that population-level #TB interventions are likely to have more meaningful impact on disease burden than interventions that only reach routinely diagnosed individuals or their households. www.nature.com/articles/s44... 1/7

Our new paper in @nathealth.nature.com shows that population-level #TB interventions are likely to have more meaningful impact on disease burden than interventions that only reach routinely diagnosed individuals or their households. www.nature.com/articles/s44... 1/7

Global impact and cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis interventions - Nature Health

A modelling analysis at a global scale estimates that three interventions (vaccination, community-wide screening and prison screening programmes) could prevent more than 10% of tuberculosis cases betw...

nature.com

1/📢 In our new publication, we estimate that in 2022, 134 million people worldwide had a recent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and were at high risk of progressing to TB disease. Read the full paper in PLOS Medicine (tinyurl.com/mtbinfection). #TBSky

Estimating the global burden of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: A mathematical modelling study

Alvaro Schwalb and colleagues conducted a mathematical modelling study to estimate the global burden of viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis--that which can cause disease and be transmitted--to help guid...

tinyurl.com

In this modeling study, Allison Portnoy and colleagues investigate the potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries 🧪 #MedSky #TB plos.io/4ryyBFX

The potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries: A modeling study

In a modelling study, Allison Portnoy and colleagues investigate the potential impact of reduced international donor funding on the household economic burden of Tuberculosis in low- and middle-income ...

plos.io

New comment: Tuberculosis and undernutrition: improving estimates to reinforce the policy imperative www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Tuberculosis and undernutrition: improving estimates to reinforce the policy imperative

Undernutrition is a key driver of the global tuberculosis epidemic, increasing the risk of people developing tuberculosis disease and of poor outcomes in those who do.1 Each year, WHO publishes estima...

thelancet.com

Our framework that informed the @who.int TB & climate change policy brief out now in @lancetrespirmed.bsky.social, exploring the intersections and implications of climate change for the TB epidemic. Key message? TB should be considered a climate-sensitive disease www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Climate change and tuberculosis: an analytical framework

Climate change is likely to exacerbate a range of determinants that drive tuberculosis, the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. However, tuberculosis is often neglected in w...

thelancet.com

very nice two-punch set of papers led by @mjsaunder.bsky.social and @cfmcquaid.bsky.social. First fix the many issues with recent reviews of BMI and TB, and then follow it through on the consequences for the key PAF metrics. Undernutrition was, is and remains a key driver of global TB burden.

Matthew Saunders@mjsaunder.bsky.social · 11mo ago

“Wow, I saw in the last GTB report undernutrition is much less important for TB than we previously thought” I hear you say… Well, no. We think this is an underestimate, & as much as 28% of TB could be attributable to undernutrition – see our latest comment here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

“Wow, I saw in the last GTB report undernutrition is much less important for TB than we previously thought” I hear you say… Well, no. We think this is an underestimate, & as much as 28% of TB could be attributable to undernutrition – see our latest comment here: www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Tuberculosis and undernutrition: improving estimates to reinforce the policy imperative

Undernutrition is a key driver of the global tuberculosis epidemic, increasing the risk of people developing tuberculosis disease and of poor outcomes in those who do.1 Each year, WHO publishes estima...

thelancet.com

When fluoroquinolone resistance status is unknown, empirical use of BPaLM (adding moxifloxacin to BPaL) is cost-effective as a replacement for BPaL even with high fluoroquinolone resistance levels! 🦠💊 doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Impact of fluoroquinolone resistance on the cost-effectiveness of empiric treatment for multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis

The WHO recommends the bedaquiline, pretomanid, and linezolid (BPaL) regimen with the additional fluoroquinolone antibiotic moxifloxacin (BPaLM) for initial treatment of multidrug- or rifampicin-resis...

doi.org

Very important and helpful study, getting after the gap left by CXR and symptom pre-screening in disease prevalence surveys. Congrats @tomscriba.bsky.social and team on getting this done and through the publishing process.

Tom Scriba@tomscriba.bsky.social · 11mo ago

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Understanding patterns of #TB exposure and transmission is needed for targeted prevention strategies. In our latest pre-print, @petedodd24.bsky.social and I estimated the proportion of TB exposure to and transmission from sex and age groups for 177 countries. bit.ly/4nbV492

A global analysis of patterns of tuberculosis exposure and transmission

Tuberculosis (TB) is a major public health concern and the leading infectious cause of mortality globally. The disease exhibits strong prevalence patterns by age and sex, but the implications of these...

medrxiv.org

In a new preprint (NOT PEER REVIEWED) we continue to explore the challenge of overtreatment in community screening. It seems the benefits of TB treatment far outweigh the harms, especially once we accept that sputum culture is not perfect. Important food for thought. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Do no harm - re-evaluating the risks of overtreatment in community-wide tuberculosis screening

Background Community-wide screening is a crucial strategy to end tuberculosis (TB), but a common concern is potential harm from overtreatment following false positive diagnoses. However, current refer...

medrxiv.org

Excellent work led by @aschwalbc.bsky.social, building on the trials by the ACT3 team @thuanhnguyen.bsky.social to show how investing in TB screening can save lives, and start to save money quickly. As TB continues to wreak havoc, we need to embrace bold solutions to make a real and lasting impact.

Alvaro Schwalb@aschwalbc.bsky.social · last yr.

Our work on modelling population-wide screening in Viet Nam is now available in PLOS Global Public Health! tinyurl.com/3ymhuj5s

Finishing TB treatment isn’t the finish line. Our TB Champions are speaking out, showing why #PostTBCare needs urgent research. Their voices are the drivers of change. 💛 #EndTB #PostTB @posttbcare.bsky.social

Marvellous work led by @mjsaunder.bsky.social and @cfmcquaid.bsky.social to find more data and do better analyses to get to this crucial number. Now for WHO to update their PAF estimates, so we can follow up the measuring with better and properly prioritised managing.

Matthew Saunders@mjsaunder.bsky.social · last yr.

Nutritional status is a key determinant of TB. In this updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis (43 cohorts inc > 26 million people) we redefined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and TB. doi.org/10.1093/ije/...

Community screening for #tuberculosis could extend the reach of #TB services, but evidence on its effectiveness is limited. In our latest preprint, we examine the epidemiological impact of trade-offs in diagnostic algorithm, population coverage, and duration of screening. 1/n bit.ly/3UK7pFD

Exploring trade-offs in diagnostic algorithm, population coverage, and duration of community screening for tuberculosis

Background Current tuberculosis (TB) prevention and care strategies have failed to reduce disease burden at the pace required to meet global targets. Community screening may enable more rapid declines...

medrxiv.org

Our work estimating the potential impacts of reductions in international donor funding for #TB is now out in @lancetgh.bsky.social: bit.ly/3TDl28T @raclark18.bsky.social @cfmcquaid.bsky.social @alexandra-richards.bsky.social @top-j.bsky.social @reinhouben.bsky.social @richardwhite321.bsky.social

The potential impact of reductions in international donor funding on tuberculosis in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study

We estimate substantial potential impacts on tuberculosis morbidity and mortality due to reductions in international donor funding. Expanded support from domestic and international donors is essential...

bit.ly

Katherine Horton@kchorton.bsky.social · last yr.

#Tuberculosis prevention and care relies heavily on international donor funding in many settings. In our latest preprint, we examine the potential impact of reductions in international donor funding for #TB - by the US and by other major donor countries. 1/8 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

In our latest personal view in @lancetrespirmed.bsky.social, we argue for the inclusion asymptomatic #tuberculosis in vaccine trial endpoints to potentially reduce the size, length, and cost of trials. doi.org/10.1016/S221... @lshtm-tbmod.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social

TB seems to comprehensively disrupt the normal physiological progression of puberty. academic.oup.com/jid/advance-...

Impact of puberty on immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in South African adolescents

AbstractBackground. As individuals progress through adolescence, their risk of tuberculosis (TB) increases and the type of disease that develops changes, w

academic.oup.com

TB & climate change: @who.int report out now, building on an analytical framework we developed to explore the intersections and implications for the TB epidemic. Key message? TB should be considered a climate-sensitive disease www.who.int/publications...

Tuberculosis and climate change: analytical framework and knowledge gaps

This report explores the intersection of tuberculosis (TB) and climate change, highlighting how climate-related challenges such as food and water insecurity, displacement, and disrupted healthcare acc...

who.int

Amid all the bad news in Global Health, perhaps some good news? A first analysis on the risk of false positive diagnoses in community-screening for tuberculosis using Xpert shows our clinic-based data is likely (very) wrong and overestimates false positives by >80%: tinyurl.com/yfecute9.

Are you interested in #TB and have experience in #modelling infectious diseases? Come join us in the TB Modelling Group at #LSHTM! We're advertising for a 1 year Research Fellow position, with a closing date of 30 May 2025 👉 jobs.lshtm.ac.uk/vacancy.aspx...

Job Opportunity at LSHTM: Research Fellow

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Our mission is to is to improve health and healt...

jobs.lshtm.ac.uk

Climate-driven migration and displacement and their potential impact on TB in Latin America gh.bmj.com/content/10/4... @cfmcquaid.bsky.social @reinhouben.bsky.social @lshtm-tbmod.bsky.social

Tuberculosis and the climate crisis in Latin America: a predicament of poverty, migration and displacement

Tuberculosis (TB) has long been associated with poverty and displacement, through food insecurity, overcrowding, poor living conditions and reduced access to healthcare, which significantly increase t...

gh.bmj.com

#Tuberculosis prevention and care relies heavily on international donor funding in many settings. In our latest preprint, we examine the potential impact of reductions in international donor funding for #TB - by the US and by other major donor countries. 1/8 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

The potential impact of reductions in international donor funding on tuberculosis in low- and middle-income countries

Background Tuberculosis services in many settings rely heavily on international donor funding. In 2025, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was dismantled, and other countri...

medrxiv.org

Thanks to co-authors on the #TB analysis @raclark18.bsky.social @cfmcquaid.bsky.social @alexandra-richards.bsky.social @reinhouben.bsky.social @richardwhite321.bsky.social and to John Stover at Avenir Health for pulling it all together. @lshtm-tbmod.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social

New preprint led by @alexandra-richards.bsky.social & @kchorton.bsky.social from @lightontb.bsky.social Eliminating men’s excess risks for #TB & improving access to treatment to comparable rates to women could have major gains for men, women & children. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Very nice analysis showing both potential and challenges of molepi in TB, having to work with samples from small fraction of TB episodes. Highly recommend the read, interesting data and thoughts for debate of targeted vs community-wide screening. But clearly a massive lift by the team, congrats!

Peter MacPherson@petermacp.bsky.social · last yr.

Distribution and transmission of #tuberculosis in a high-HIV prevalence city in Malawi: A genomic and spatial analysis 🛟🧪 journals.plos.org/globalpublic... @uofgshw.bsky.social @jasonandrews.bsky.social @rachaelburke.bsky.social @jsalomon.bsky.social

In 2024, 68 million people were internally displaced by humanitarian crises, & are at increased risk of TB, the world's biggest infectious disease killer. We urgently need estimates to identify the scale of this problem & drive our response. We provide initial numbers here gh.bmj.com/content/10/3...

Thinking fast and slow: the urgency of crisis response must not lead us to overlook chronic needs such as tuberculosis

The number of people facing displacement due to humanitarian crises worldwide is increasing rapidly and is likely to continue. An average 10% year-on-year increase in the last 5 years resulted in 68.3...

gh.bmj.com

Very exciting to see this out. In many countries and for millions of people with TB, undernutrition is important and tragically 'unmanaged'. There are easy and cheap wins to be had, beautifully laid out by @tbtakenseriously.bsky.social and others. Start measuring, then we can start managing.

Finn McQuaid@cfmcquaid.bsky.social · 2y ago

Undernutrition is the leading risk factor for TB globally, so its very exciting to see this roadmap for integrating nutrition into the care of people with TB out now in @lancetgh.bsky.social, led by the amazing @tbtakenseriously.bsky.social www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

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