Spiro is expanding tuberculosis screening and prevention for household contacts of
people living with TB in Pakistan
Tuberculosis (TB) is preventable and curable but is still the world’s leading infectious disease killer, causing the deaths of 1.25 million people annually and disproportionately affecting children.
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To end the TB epidemic we need to improve both TB care and prevention.
TB preventive treatment "TPT" is an important tool in the fight against TB. TPT is a course of anti-tuberculosis medicine that significantly reduces the risk of developing TB. It costs between $3 and $25 dollars.
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People living in the same household as someone with TB are at particularly high risk of contracting TB. They should get access to TB screening:
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Those living with active TB should receive TB treatment
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Those without should be offered this potentially life-saving preventive treatment
But we’re still failing millions of people around the world. 4 out of every 5 people eligible for preventative treatment do not receive it globally.​
Spiro implements sustainable cost-effective household screening programs to address this issue.
IDENTIFY
SCREEN
TREAT
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We identify household contacts of those living with TB.
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We support them to get screened for TB.
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We provide TPT or connect them to TB treatment.
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We focus on children under 5 years old as they are at particularly high risk. We innovate to bring services to them in the community to reduce the barriers to care.
Spiro's programs operate in Pakistan​, the country with the fifth highest TB burden in the world.
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​Pakistan made great progress on TPT for contacts of all ages in the last year but coverage for under 5 year olds has unfortunately gone down. Overall coverage is currently at 3% showing there's still a long way to go to reach everyone who ought to be getting TPT.
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Spiro aims to support the national and provincial TB programs in Pakistan to meet ambitious targets for preventive treatment