Active Contact Tracing

This project has been set up to check household contacts of TB patients (Active Case Finding) to find out if they have been infected with TB.  Studies in Malawi have shown that there is a much higher incidence of TB among household contacts of TB patients than the rest of the population. Most at risk are children under 5, and people who are HIV positive.  Despite this evidence, at the moment new cases are generally found through Passive Case Finding, i.e. the hospital requesting that household contacts make their own way to the hospital for screening procedures.

Our project aims to show that by testing the contacts of TB patients, significant numbers of lives can be saved, by picking up cases of TB earlier and preventing unnecessary transmission of the disease (one infectious patient can spread the disease to 10-15 others each year) and it can be cost-effective too.  The project will ensure that:

• Any household contacts who have already developed TB symptoms are identified early and started on anti-TB treatment before they become very ill.
• Children who are well and under 6 years of age will be placed on preventive therapy to prevent the development of active TB.
• Finally if the index patient is HIV-positive, the whole family will be offered  voluntary counselling and HIV testing (VCT), and preventive therapy will be given to those who are found to be HIV-positive to prevent them becoming ill with TB.

The project is a three-way partnership between TB Alert, Towvirane Community Based Organisation (who will provide volunteers to undertake the home visits), and the DHMT, and we hope it serve as a model for other districts and CBOs in Malawi, eventually becoming a routine part of the National TB Programme.  

Click here to read a case study from the project