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Reposted by Finn McQuaid

Rein Houben @reinhouben.bsky.social · 2d

In a new preprint (NOT PEER REVIEWED) we continue to explore the challenge of overtreatment in community screening.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...

www.medrxiv.org

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Reposted by Finn McQuaid

Ruth Bowness @ruthbowness.bsky.social · 12d

PhD opportunity: New approaches to modelling TB transmission in low-incidence settings.
Supervised by Ellen Brooks-Pollock (Bristol), me (Bath) & Rajeka Lazarus (Bristol)
Apply: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Deadline 20 Oct
#PhD #Tuberculosis #Epidemiology #InfectiousDisease

New approaches for modelling tuberculosis transmission in low incidence settings at University of Bristol on FindAPhD.com

PhD Project - New approaches for modelling tuberculosis transmission in low incidence settings at University of Bristol, listed on FindAPhD.com

www.findaphd.com

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Reposted by Finn McQuaid

Katherine Horton @kchorton.bsky.social · 17d

Our systematic review of rural/urban differences in #TB prevalence shows evidence of rapidly urbanising epidemics in many settings, with differences across countries and regions.

Link to preprint below ⬇️

Peter MacPherson @petermacp.bsky.social · 17d

Are there more people with #TB in cities or rural areas?

In a 🚨new🚨 preprint (NOT PEER REVIEWED) we modelled urban-rural TB trends from 2000-2023 in 26 countries with 4.6 billion people.

www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

A plot, facetted by country, showing the percentage of TB that is urban and rural between 2000-2023

A forest plot, showing estimates of the urban to rural TB prevalence in 46 studies

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Pete Dodd @petedodd24.bsky.social · 24d

More projected impacts of cuts to international health aid on paediatric #tuberculosis urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=htt...

World maps of additional child tb & tb deaths

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · 28d

@who.int is appalled by the latest evacuation order, demanding 1 million people to move from Gaza City to a “humanitarian zone” in the south.

To civilians: WHO and partners remain in Gaza City.

To the intl. community: Act.

This catastrophe is human-made, & the responsibility rests with us all.

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Alvaro Schwalb @aschwalbc.bsky.social · 28d

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

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Matthew Saunders @mjsaunder.bsky.social · 29d

So...what would happen to the global TB epidemic if we hypothetically "eliminated" undernutrition? In this preprint, we combined estimates from our new review (doi.org/10.1093/ije/...) with population-specific BMI distributions to find out...(doi.org/10.1101/2025...)

Global, regional, and national estimates of tuberculosis incidence averted by eliminating undernutrition in adults: a modelling study

Background Current efforts to reduce global tuberculosis incidence have proved insufficient, highlighting that urgent action is needed to address underlying modifiable risk factors such as undernutrit...

doi.org

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Matthew Saunders @mjsaunder.bsky.social · Sep 9

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/...

Body mass index and tuberculosis risk: an updated systematic literature review and dose–response meta-analysis

AbstractBackground. The relationship between nutritional status and tuberculosis is critically important but poorly understood. We extended a 2009 review c

doi.org

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Katherine Horton @kchorton.bsky.social · Sep 5

At a time when global resources for #TB research, development, prevention, and care are limited, which interventions should be prioritised in high burden settings?

📢 Our new pre-print compares the impact, cost, and cost-effectiveness of 9 TB interventions in 3 countries. 1/n

bit.ly/3V3vXth

The potential impact, cost and cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis interventions - a modelling exercise

Background While a range of interventions exist for tuberculosis prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment, their potential population impact and cost-effectiveness are seldom directly compared,...

bit.ly

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Matthew Saunders @mjsaunder.bsky.social · Aug 12

The global TB epidemic is driven by social determinants. In this case-control study in Peru, we characterised the associations between multidimensional household poverty, personal risk factors, and TB. @tb-lshtm.bsky.social idpjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

The social determinants of tuberculosis: a case-control study characterising pathways to equitable intervention in Peru - Infectious Diseases of Poverty

Background Despite being key components of global tuberculosis policy, poverty reduction and social protection interventions have been inconsistently implemented. We aimed to characterise how poverty ...

idpjournal.biomedcentral.com

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · Jul 24

The 2.1 million people trapped in the war zone that is #Gaza are facing yet another killer on top of bombs and bullets: starvation.

We demand full access to deliver aid.
We demand the release of all hostages.
We demand a ceasefire.
We demand a political solution.

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UNICEF @unicef.org · Jul 21

This is a man-made disaster.

Enough is enough. The United Nations must be allowed to deliver aid of all types at scale to families in Gaza, wherever they are.

Starvation is a horrific reality for children and families in Gaza.

Aid at scale must be allowed in urgently.

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Madhu Pai, MD, PhD @madhupai.bsky.social · Jul 14

Sobering study on the devastating impact of aid cuts on tuberculosis incidence and mortality in low and middle income countries

Governments of highest TB burden nations will need to wake up and invest more!

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

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...

www.thelancet.com

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Katherine Horton @kchorton.bsky.social · Jul 14

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

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Bill Gates @billgates.bsky.social · Jul 3

The facts are simple and devastating: Aid cuts have already cost lives, and the number of deaths will continue to rise. Here’s the evidence.

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Katherine Horton @kchorton.bsky.social · Jul 4

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

Figure 1. Estimated number of trial endpoints in the control group of a prevention-of-disease vaccine trial in a high disease-burden setting showing number of endpoints on the y-axis and time in months on the x-axis. For bacteriologically confirmed symptomatic tuberculosis disease endpoints only, we estimate 69 endpoints, and for combined bacteriologically confirmed asymptomatic and symptomatic tuberculosis disease endpoints, we estimate 151 endpoints. Scenario assumes symptomatic disease incidence before trial screening of 300/100 000 per year and following 10 000 individuals over 3 years. Prevalent symptomatic and asymptomatic tuberculosis disease are screened out in month 0 and are not trial endpoints. Active screening occurs every 6 months for both scenarios and participants self-presenting with symptoms suggestive of tuberculosis disease would also be investigated.

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Tom Wingfield @tomwingfield.bsky.social · Jul 2

Super stuff @petermacp.bsky.social @lightontb.bsky.social team!

The LIGHT Consortium @lightontb.bsky.social · Jul 2

NEW STUDY! 📣

A large global study found men are more likely to be exposed to TB than women.

The reason? Likely social behaviours:
• More time in crowded indoor spaces
• Delays in seeking care

READ MORE ⤵️
🔗 www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

@petermacp.bsky.social @hannahrickman.bsky.social

infographic highlighting the key points from the paper published in the Lancet: Sex differences in the risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis of population-based immunoreactivity surveys

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Daniel Grint @danieljgrint.bsky.social · Jun 25

Until there is a test for TB infection with higher specificity than IGRA, the use of the non-inferiority trial design for TB vaccine prevention of infection outcomes is not recommended.

@richardwhite321.bsky.social @cfmcquaid.bsky.social @reinhouben.bsky.social

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Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus @drtedros.who.int · Jun 19

The escalation of hostilities between #Israel and #Iran is putting health facilities and access to health care at risk. The reports on the attacks on health so far are appalling.

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LSHTM TB Modelling Group @lshtm-tbmod.bsky.social · May 28

Can you believe it’s already been 25 years!?

Come join us on 20 June 2025 at 4pm UK time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Introduction to #Infectious Disease #Modelling course delivered by @lshtm.bsky.social and @ukhsa.bsky.social!

More info 👉 www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/e...

25th anniversary celebrations of the Introduction to Infectious Disease

Our special event will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Introduction to Infectious Disease Modelling and its Applications course, delivered by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

www.lshtm.ac.uk

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Pranay Sinha @tbtakenseriously.bsky.social · Jun 13

We know that undernourished persons with TB are at higher risk of mortality, but why?

My incredible mentee Dr. Alexa Tabackman tries to understand why in this new paper:

tinyurl.com/2jc76v8c

A thread 🧵
@buceid.bsky.social @bostonmedical.bsky.social @madhupai.bsky.social
@meganmurray.bsky.social

Impact of premorbid nutritional status on TB severity: Ingenta ConnectBACKGROUNDMETHODSRESULTSCONCLUSIONS

www.ingentaconnect.com

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Daniel Grint @danieljgrint.bsky.social · Jun 13

NEW PRE-PRINT (currently going through peer review)

In this secondary analysis of the RIFASHORT trial we classified TB disease severity at baseline and show that for the majority of people 4-months of rifampicin-based treatment, without the use of a quinolone, was non-inferior to the 6-month SOC.

Xpert MTB/RIF® cycle threshold as a marker of TB disease severity; Implications for TB treatment stratification

Introduction Recent trials have demonstrated that shortened four-month treatment durations are effective for the majority of people with tuberculosis (TB). However, there is a population of TB patient...

doi.org

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Finn McQuaid @cfmcquaid.bsky.social · May 30

@dopapus.bsky.social @laragosce.bsky.social @gasparrini.bsky.social @raclark18.bsky.social @juliapescarini.bsky.social @richardwhite321.bsky.social @reinhouben.bsky.social @lshtm-tbmod.bsky.social @tb-lshtm.bsky.social @lshtm.bsky.social

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Finn McQuaid @cfmcquaid.bsky.social · May 30

There's an urgent need for integration of TB response into national, regional & global climate response strategies, esp in areas w high burden of TB. Failure to act will not only stall progress to #endTB but will also exacerbate global health inequities and social disparities

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Finn McQuaid @cfmcquaid.bsky.social · May 30

But no studies directly linking climate change and TB, warranting research to build evidence for action

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