Tackling TB and HIV Together in Papua New Guinea

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a low-level mixed HIV epidemic and the highest HIV incidence and prevalence in the Pacific region. Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health threat in PNG with a high incidence rate (432 per 100,000) and a rapid rise of multi-drug resistant/rifampicin resistant TB (MDR-RR- TB).

Burnet Institute is the sub-recipient to World Vision on a grant to support priorities and interventions in alignment with the National STI and HIV Strategy 2018–2022 and the National Tuberculosis Strategic Plan 2015–2020.

The grant implements in 3 provinces:

• East New Britain
• New Ireland
• West New Britain.

The principles of implementation are:

• integration
• task shifting/sharing (involving community)
• provincial implementation in line with the existing decentralised model (national health plan)
• policy guidance and technical support through national level.

Objective

The main project objectives are to:

• increase the TB case notification rate for bacteriologically confirmed, new and relapse cases, from 43 per 100,000 population in 2013 to 93 per 100,000 population in 2020
• increase the TB treatment success rate of bacteriologically confirmed new TB cases from 68 percent in 2012 to 88% in 2020
• increase the coverage of HIV testing of TB pa1ents from <25 percent in 2013 to >90 percent in 2020
• 70% of PLHIV know their status by 2020
• 70% of PLHIV are accessing antiretroviral therapy by 2020
• 90% of PLHIV on ART have a suppressed viral load within 12 months of commencing ART by 2020
• contribute in ensuring uninterrupted supply of drugs and medical products for Malaria, TB and HIV programs through effective operationalisation of m-Supply, a Logistics Management Information System (LMIS), among existing and expansion sites in 2017 and 2020 respectively
• initiate pilot TBHIV programs within local communities to reduce the burden of TBHIV transmission
• promote and strengthen TBHIV infrastructure with respective provincial health authorities, stakeholders and NGOs

Timeline

2018–2022.