To see a world free of tuberculosis, researchers, policy makers and health implementers must collaborate openly to address the challenges of TB infection control, treatment and prevention. As part of a USAID-funded initiative to support tuberculosis control in high-burden countries, 22 of which account for 80% of the tuberculosis cases in the world, PATH and GHD are working together to support health implementers on-the-ground through the MDR-TB Treatment & Prevention and TB Infection Control communities on GHDonline.

“GHDonline is a real asset to TB professionals and the community alike. It has stimulated rich discussions, welcomes debate and provides critical information on new developments and expertise in TB infection control and MDR-TB that aren’t otherwise accessible to such a large audience. At the same time, we learn a lot about challenges in the field from our colleagues who post their own experiences. I love its user-friendly set-up and the collegiality it has inspired” notes D’Arcy Richardson, RN, PHN, MSN, CNS, TB Team Leader at PATH who just posted the Advocacy Strategy for Adoption and Dissemination of the WHO Policy on TB Infection Control in Health-Care Facilities, Congregate Settings and Households in GHDonline for feedback.

Members of these communities represent more than 600 organizations in 112 countries and discuss a broad range of issues from an emerging new medicine to treat TB as posted by a member in Brazil to thoughts on the implementation of the New WHO TB IC Policy. They also access the information they need in easy-to-use Discussion Briefs such as Using particulate respirators for TB Infection Control (sign in required) and in summaries of closed-access articles created as part of this collaboration, thus increasing access to the latest information from the biomedical literature to implementers in resource-limited settings. A member who recently joined thanks to this effort noted how the work presented in one such summary was “most relevant to me personally and generally of great importance to all of us working in Zimbabwe. Let’s see if it will get us talking!”

Members and organizations are also invited to participate in personalized trainings to learn how to use the GHDonline communities to better fit their needs and to join forces in sharing critical knowledge and information in the fight against tuberculosis. Please contact us if you would like to organize a GHDonline training.