Ending the global tuberculosis epidemic: the role of patient costs

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem worldwide. The World Health Organization (WHO) released the End TB Strategy in2014, a global TB control strategy with the ambitious goal of ending the TB epidemic worldwide by 2035. The Strategy has three main goals: 1)to reduce TB related mortality by 95% by 2035, 2) to reduce TB incidence by 90% 2035 and 3) zero catastrophic costs for TB patients relatedto TB prevention and care, to be achieved by 2020. Costs related to TB care are a significant impediment to TB elimination. Studies demonstratethat patients face significant costs when seeking a TB care, and mitigation of these costs is a major focus for national TB programmes and WHOto achieve TB elimination.The research in this Fellowship will contribute towards that goal.