Synopsis
Around a half of women in tuberculosis-endemic countries are infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis and over 1.7 million females of reproductive age (15-45 years) fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) each year. Pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of TB disease which has major consequences for maternal health – TB is the major non-obstetric cause of maternal mortality globally – and for the health of their baby. Beyond the perinatal period, TB in mothers has profound impact for their family and children of all ages. However, there is a huge knowledge gap partly because pregnant women and adolescents are commonly excluded from research. This seminar which coincides with World TB Day will present current evidence on maternal TB, share novel data from a study in PNG that is screening (and treating) pregnant women for TB, highlight important knowledge gaps and future research questions.
Speakers
Professor Steve Graham is co-lead of Melbourne Children’s Global Health with strong clinical and research experience in TB and drug-resistant TB. Steve has been a strong advocate for increasing attention to TB in young people and maternal TB for many years. He is a founding core member and previous Chair of the WHO Stop TB Partnership’s Child and Adolescent TB Working Group as well as a member of a WHO Working Group on TB in Pregnancy (Advocacy) and a member of The Union’s Maternal and Child TB Working Group.
Alison Morton is a registered nurse and midwife currently undertaking a PhD in antenatal TB screening at the Department of Infectious Diseases, The University of Melbourne. With over 10 years clinical experience specialising in antenatal care for high-risk pregnancy, and holding an MPH, Alison’s research focuses on optimising TB screening during pregnancy to improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
Dr Pauline Masta is an obstetrician at Port Moresby General Hospital and lectures with The University of Papua New Guinea School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In this role, she manages high-volume and complex deliveries and trains junior health care workers. She also plays a key implementation role in the Maternal-Child TB program which aspires to fill the gaps in TB care at a busy maternity wing and children’s immunization clinic; a program funded through a UNOPS/Stop TB Partnership’s TB Reach Project.
Professor Helen Cox is an epidemiologist and public health researcher who has recently joined the Burnet Institute after 16 years working in tuberculosis programs and research in South Africa; initially with Doctors without Borders and then based at the University of Cape Town. Professor Cox has worked in TB and drug-resistant TB since 2001. Her research interests have ranged from the molecular epidemiology of drug-resistant TB, through assessing the feasibility and impact of new diagnostics for TB to a human rights approach to improving the effectiveness of, and access to diagnosis and treatment for TB.