National Workshop to Present the Results of the TB-SPEED Project

The TB-Speed consortium, led by the University of Bordeaux, organized the final presentation of the TB-Speed project’s results in Maputo, Mozambique, on June 9 and 10, 2022.

This project, which aims to reduce tuberculosis mortality among children by improving diagnosis, was implemented between 2017 and 2022 in seven countries with high tuberculosis incidence and limited resources: Cambodia, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia.

One of the recommendations emerging from the Maputo meeting is that each member country of the consortium must organize a presentation of the project’s results, in which it has fully participated. The goal is to discuss with partners and key stakeholders in the fight against tuberculosis how to use the project’s findings to bring about changes in health policy regarding the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis.

With this in mind, Côte d’Ivoire, which participated in this important project, has decided to present its findings.

• Date: January 20, 2023

• Location: INFAS Administration Auditorium, located within the Treichville University Hospital (CHU) Participants:

• PAC-CI Team

• Bordeaux team

• Sassandra District Team

• Danané District Team

• Cocody University Hospital Team

• Angré University Hospital Team

• Treichville University Hospital Team

• Deputy Director General of Health

• The Deputy Coordinating Director of the National Tuberculosis Control Program and his team

• Representative of the NGO EGPAF

• Representative of the NGO SEV-CI

• PEPFAR Representative

• Representative of the NGO ALLIANCE-CI

PROGRAM

The presentation itself took place over the course of one day—specifically, the entire day of January 20, 2023—in the INFAS administration amphitheater located within the Treichville University Hospital. After the participants were seated and the introductory and opening remarks were delivered, the day began with PowerPoint presentations. These covered all the project’s themes, organized into four sessions, namely:

Session 1: Decentralization of pediatric tuberculosis diagnosis, which included four presentations:

• Decentralization of pediatric TB diagnosis—international results from the TB-Speed study Decentralization

• Implementation of Decentralized Diagnosis in Sassandra and Danané

• Feasibility and acceptability of decentralization

• Cost-effectiveness and budgetary impact of decentralized pediatric TB diagnosis

Session 2: Tuberculosis Diagnosis in Vulnerable Pediatric Populations, which also included three presentations:

• Routine screening for tuberculosis and mortality among children under 5 with severe pneumonia

• Validation of the PAANTHER TB treatment decision algorithm for children living with HIV

• Development of a diagnostic prediction score for TB in children hospitalized for severe acute malnutrition

Session 3: Laboratory Aspects and Tools, featuring 2 presentations

• Implementation of Xpert Ultra tests for the diagnosis of pediatric TB as part of the TB-SPEED project

• Tools and TB-SPEED Final Report

Session 4: Scaling Up, which included 2 presentations:

• The TB-SPEED Project’s Contribution to Strengthening the Health System

• Scaling Up the Results of the TB-SPEED Project: How and When to Do It?

This session was the most eagerly anticipated, as it focused on developing a national action plan to scale up the project’s achievements in order to facilitate and improve the diagnosis of pediatric TB in Côte d’Ivoire. This responsibility fell to the national tuberculosis control program

It should be noted that all presentations were followed by discussions moderated by the professors and department heads involved in the project.

The workshop concluded at 6:00 p.m. with words of thanks from the Bordeaux delegation, the Executive Director of PAC-CI, the National Tuberculosis Control Program (PNLT), and the Director General of Health (DGS).