CONSÓRCIO TEST4TPT LANÇA INICIATIVA DE INVESTIGAÇÃO PARA ACELERAR A PREVENÇÃO DA TUBERCULOSE EM MOÇAMBIQUE, TANZÂNIA E UGANDA
Eight organisations established a new international consortium across Africa and Europe to strengthen access to tuberculosis (TB) preventive treatment. How? Through innovative testing, digital health solutions, and community-based care. The consortium TEST4TPT, collaborates to address one of the most persistent challenges in TB prevention to date: early identification of people exposed to TB and connecting them to preventive care.
According to the latest report of the World Health Organisation (2025), TB remains the world's leading infectious disease killer. Every year, millions of people are exposed to Mycobacterium tuberculosis through close contact with family members, friends, and others in their communities. However, TB can be treated and prevented. The treatment given to people who have been exposed to TB bacteria, but do not have active TB disease is called TB Preventive Treatment (TPT).
TPT can effectively reduce the risk of developing TB disease, but uptake remains far below global targets in many high-burden settings. Through TEST4TPT, these gaps aim to be bridged and consortium members have already launched initial activities to see this happening across three countries: Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.
Why is TEST4TPT relevant across these three project countries?
While Mozambique has made progress in expanding TPT uptake among eligible household contacts, these numbers remain below desired levels. TPT is a key component of Mozambique’s strategy to reduce TB disease and 6 out of 10 household contacts of people with TB received TPT in 2023. Yet many people at risk of developing TB still miss out on preventive services. Research conducted in Manhiça District found that only 11.7% of household contacts under five years of age received preventive treatment. One of the challenges lies in the fact that shorter TPT regimens are not yet being programmatically implemented in Mozambique, and that TPT provision for people older than five is not included in the national guidelines.
In Tanzania, expanding access to TPT is also a national priority. However, despite progress in recent years, only 16% of household contacts of people with TB received TPT in 2023. The country's ongoing commitment to making TB prevention more accessible, effective, and person-centred has led the country to achieve strong coverage among people living with HIV. More than 100,000 persons living with HIV received TPT in 2023, but important gaps remain for other groups at risk of developing TB. In 2022, only 62% of eligible children under five who were household contacts of people with TB received TPT. Barriers in uptake are similar to Mozambique’s: lack of inclusion in national guidelines for household contacts above five.
Uganda has made encouraging progress in TB prevention and in 2023: almost 7 out of 10 household contacts of people with TB received TPT. This demonstrates Uganda’s strong commitment to preventing TB and protecting people who have been exposed to the bacteria before they become ill. Despite this progress, TPT coverage remains below national targets in Uganda, particularly among older household contacts. Significant regional variation across Uganda creates challenges for the programmatic uptake of TPT.
TEST4TPT is a vital project for TB high burden countries like Uganda because it speeds up access to screening and care for people who are at high risk of TB. At community level, it’s going to prevent the spread of TB in the communities.Dr. Ronald Mulebeke, Director of Mildmay Research Centre Uganda.
Tackling TPT uptake challenges with research innovation and person-centred delivery approaches
Additionally, to the challenges mentioned above, one of the key barriers for TPT uptake is the limited access to accurate and affordable TB infection testing. The recently launched TEST4TPT project addresses these gaps by evaluating an innovative, person-centred approach. The project will assess how reliable and accurate the innovative AI-supported innovations, SmartPatch and TBConnect application, in reading SIILTIBCY(1) skin test results are. For a more comprehensive implementation, these interventions will be integrated through facility-based and home-based approaches, rather than relying only on facility access. With this, the project is evaluating whether community-based testing pathways increase initiation and completion of TPT.
For TPT to be effectively delivered to the people that would benefit from it, the different medication regimens need to be locally available. TPT regimens(2) may vary depending on the drug combinations available and ease of administration. While there are regimens with over 180 daily doses over a 6-months period, shorter 1-month regimens are also a possibility. Acceptability of TPT regimens is key for both healthcare workers and people exposed to the TB bacteria. Raising for the latter an additional concern, “Why should I take medications if I’m not feeling sick?”
In the long run, by improving the detection of exposure to Mycobacterium tuberculosis among household contacts and helping more people access preventive treatment, TEST4TPT has the potential to increase access, uptake and completion rates of TPT. This means better outcomes and more protection for communities, and progress toward global TB elimination goals. The consortium will also generate evidence to inform future policy decisions on scalable and sustainable approaches to detect exposure to TB and prevention in high-burden settings.
"The project will generate evidence on the clinical utility, operational performance, feasibility, acceptability, and scalability of this integrated TB prevention model. Beyond technological innovation, TEST4TPT places strong emphasis on strengthening scientific capacity, promoting local leadership, and ensuring that research is embedded within national health priorities.", Christiaan Mulder, TEST4TPT project coordinator and researcher from KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation.
TEST4TPT, an equitable partnership project
The project is being implemented in close collaboration with national TB programmes, health workers, communities, and partner institutions across Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. TEST4TPT is coordinated by KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation (the Netherlands) and implemented by the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and MKUTA in Tanzania; Manhiça Health Research Center (CISM) in Mozambique; Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) and Mildmay Research Centre Uganda (MRCU) in Uganda; Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) in Spain; and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) in the United Kingdom. TEST4TPT is conducted with financial support from Global Health EDCTP3, as part of the Horizon Europe Programme, and co-funded by the European Union.
Through this collaborative approach, the consortium aims to contribute to better TB prevention outcomes, and stronger and more sustainable health research ecosystems in participating countries. TEST4TPT is equally committed to ensuring that future testing approaches are affordable, available, and accessible to the populations who need them most.
“We hope TEST4TPT means more people receive TPT and more solid evidence on the most cost-effective way to deliver preventive treatment.”Alvaro Schwalb, Assistant Professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
“TEST4TPT will bring significant benefits for communities across the country. Bringing TB prevention close to the communities will also increase the number of people who benefit from TB prevention in this country (Mozambique).” Dr. Sozinho Acácio Researcher and principal investigator at CISM.
Contactos de media
KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
On behalf of the TEST4TPT Consortium
Juan Román Mora
Mildmay Research Centre Uganda
On behalf of the TEST4TPT Consortium
Roy Alia
Manhiça Health Research center
On behalf of the TEST4TPT Consortium
Nércio Machele
About TEST4TPT
TEST4TPT is an international research collaboration evaluating whether accessible TB infection
testing, combined with AI-assisted digital tools and community-based delivery models, can improve access to tuberculosis preventive treatment in Tanzania, Mozambique, and Uganda. The project brings together expertise in clinical research, implementation science, health economics, modelling, digital health, community engagement, and TB programme implementation from institutions across Africa and Europe.
Visit test4tpt.org for more information
TEST4TPT Consortium
Funding
TEST4TPT has received financial support from the Global Health EDCTP3 Programme, as part of the Horizon Europe Programme, co-funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101249120). The views and opinions expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Global Health EDCTP3. Neither the European Union nor the granting
authority can be held responsible for them.
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