Quarterly Monitoring Report: Challenge TB - India Year 2 January-March 2016

The program aims to improve tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, treatment, and prevention in India. In the second year of the program, significant achievements were made in various areas. The Call to Action for a TB-Free India was launched, featuring a radio and social media campaign with Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan, who shared his personal story as a TB survivor. The campaign was successful in raising corporate commitments from five big industry/business houses for a TB-Free India, with an estimated leveraged value of approximately 1 million US dollars. The program also supported a project offering upfront access to Xpert MTB/Rif (Xpert) testing for the diagnosis of pediatric TB, with FIND as the implementing partner. The project reported a 35% increase in enrollment of children with TB symptoms, with 7,040 children tested from January to March 2016. Of the total children presumptive for TB, 7.9% were diagnosed with TB, with 9% found to be rifampicin-resistant. In addition, the program focused on improving the diagnosis of children with TB, with a 35% increase in enrollment of children with TB symptoms. The project also reported a 59.2% increase in non-sputum specimens, with 42.8% being gastric aspirate/lavage, 5.5% cerebrospinal fluid, 3.5% pleural fluid, 2.4% broncho-alveolar lavage, and 1.6% pus specimens. The program also supported HIV screening and referral of patients diagnosed with TB in the private sector in Mumbai, with PATH as the implementing partner. Fifty-five private laboratory technicians were trained on National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) guidelines for laboratory technicians, and linkages and collaboration with 26 Integrated Counselling and Testing Centers (ICTC) staff were established. However, the program faced several technical and administrative challenges, including plans to recruit five consultants to be seconded to the unit for Programmatic Management of Drug-resistant TB (PMDT) at the Central TB Division in Delhi, which were put on hold due to a government circular limiting hiring of consultants paid through foreign funds. The program also faced challenges in replacing the Technical Officer and Communication Officer working on the Call to Action project, which resigned during the quarter. The program also faced challenges in procuring GeneXpert through WHO, which is no longer feasible, and direct procurement from Cepheid will have to be undertaken by the FIND team, which will affect costs and cause time delay.