KNCV becomes prime partner for USAID's flagship tuberculosis program

KNCV Tuberculosis FoundationOct 9 2014

KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (KNCV), the Dutch NGO specialized in the fight against tuberculosis, will be the prime partner for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in their new five year flagship program 'Challenge TB'. TB is still a deadly infectious disease, killing over 1.3 million people every year worldwide. In the next five years USAID will invest 525 million dollars through this program, to accelerate the global fight against TB. 

KNCV will head an international consortium with eight leading partner organizations in tuberculosis control. This is USAID's fourth flagship tuberculosis program since 2000, all implemented by the same coalition led by KNCV. The current USAID program, TB CARE I, covered 17 countries and helped to save the lives of 4 million people.

TB is still a major global problem. Every year 8.6 million people fall ill with TB. One third of them are not properly diagnosed or notified. Also, drug-resistant forms of TB are spreading, leading to longer, harsher and more expensive treatments. TB often coincides with HIV and is the number one cause of death among people living with HIV. Because of this, the new Challenge TB program will advance an integrated approach towards HIV/AIDS and TB control. The involvement of local communities will be an important part of the program, which will focus on high TB-burden countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

International consortium 

The eight partners that are teaming up with KNCV in the Challenge TB consortium are American Thoracic Society (ATS), FHI 360, Interactive Research & Development (IRD), The Union, Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association (JATA), Management Sciences for Health, (MSH), PATH and the World Health Organization (WHO).

KNCV will lead the program from its headquarters in The Hague, the Netherlands. The organization has been committed to fighting TB since its establishment in 1903, combining technical know-how, research and sustainable implementation.

The Netherlands government recognizes the importance of TB control and the unique part that Dutch organizations like KNCV play in it. The Netherlands contribute to the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria and welcome initiatives such as Challenge TB, because they enhance the impact of the Global Fund and an integrated approach to HIV/AIDS and TB control.