TASC2 – TASC II – Tuberculosis South Africa

Overview and Objectives

Provided assistance to the South African National TB Control Programme and other stakeholders to strengthen local capacity to detect, treat, and prevent TB as well as further integrate TB treatment with HIV and other health care services. The TASC II TB project developed community-based strategies to ensure that patients would seek out and adhere to treatment.

Working with the existing networks of health services, the project team strengthened the ability of public sector health facilities to provide a wider array of high quality TB services. The project helped link health service providers to community groups and private sector business to build an integrated network of TB and TB/HIV treatment and care services. In addition, URC worked with the NTCP to respond to changes and developments in South Africa’s TB epidemic.

The second Technical Assistance and Support Contract (TASC2) was a worldwide rapid-procurement vehicle that allowed USAID Missions to access technical assistance and programmatic support for tuberculosis control, including all aspects of adapting in different settings the WHO-recommended Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS) strategy.

Achievements

• Developed national policies and guidelines for infection control, treatment for TB/HIV, multi-drug and extensively-drug resistant TB, and advocacy communication and social mobilization
• The case detection rate in supported facilities reached the WHO target of 70%
• Successful treatment completion increased from 65% to 85% and treatment default rates were halved: from 18% to 9%
• Improvements in cure rates in the project’s focus districts increased by an average of 10%
• TB patients screened for HIV reached >70%, exceeding the national target of 65%
• 100% of supported facilities implementing standardized TB management protocols at project end