World TB Day seminar hosted at the Centenary Institute

The Centre of Research Excellence in Tuberculosis Control (TB-CRE) has held a seminar at the Centenary Institute in support of World TB Day, 24 March 2022.

TB, primarily affecting the lungs, is one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers. Every day, over 4,100 people die from TB world-wide and nearly 30,000 people fall ill with TB disease.

The TB-CRE seminar, featuring talks from TB experts at local, regional, and global levels, highlighted the importance of tuberculosis control to end the global TB epidemic.

Speakers included TB specialists from Vietnam and Kiribati who collaborate with the TB-CRE  on major research projects. The impact of COVID-19 and its significant disruption to TB care and service delivery, in many countries, was also a topic of discussion.

Professor Warwick Britton AO, Head of the Tuberculosis Research Program at the Centenary Institute and Chief Investigator of the TB-CRE said raising understanding about TB was critical in helping overcome the devastating health, social and economic impacts of the disease.

“We are fortunate that there is a low incidence of TB in Australia but need to be aware that TB is a leading cause of death in the Asia-Pacific region,” said Professor Britton.

“Increased global collaboration and networking, together with increased funding for effective TB programs is required to help stamp out this deadly disease.”  

The TB-CRE is a collaborative research centre funded by the NHMRC and develops, tests, and implements tuberculosis elimination strategies in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The Centenary Institute is an affiliate of the TB-CRE.

Find out more about the Centenary Institute’s Tuberculosis Research Program here.