The Epidemiological Laboratory Overview On behalf of the Epi-Lab Director & Team

Foundation and establishment Epi-lab was established in 2005* to become a centre for excellence in public health research. Epi-lab is an independent non-governmental, non-profit organization based in Khartoum, Sudan. The establishment was aided by its collaborators, namely the Union “International union against tuberculosis & lung Disease” and University of Oslo, while LHL “Norwegian Heart and Lung Patient Organisation “played the role of co-founder. * Ref: Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), Sudan, Registration Certificate – Date of first registration: – Registration No.: T.N0 950

The intellectual capital of the Organization made a significant input in driving the change of health policies in Sudan during the previous year. EpiLab succeeded in bringing the research results into practice moving towards new areas in public health, utilizing the expertise and the UNION model of building a nation wide TB control program to address other diseases. The EpiLab continue to play its role in linking Academia to public health service delivery through the continuous TB\HIV data collection (director’s PhD data) which is the corner stone in building the Epidemiological Laboratory. Pillars of continuity

TB SectionAsthma SectionChild Lung Health SectionTobacco SectionTB in Animal SectionHIS section, GIS &KM units The Framework of the Epi-Lab/Scientific Sections Research Unit Ref: Epi-Lab Strategic Plan & Section Plans

Continuous TB – HIV data collection Continuous TB – HIV data collection: Creating and maintaining a rich data base Triage Plus : Triage Plus :Integrated Package for TB/HIV, using CTC. Poverty reduction & Accessibility TB Reach : TB Reach : Promoting timely detection & Diagnosis (IDPS Darfur, Military Services, Females N Kordofan TB 21st Century TB 21st Century : Rapid Serological Test (Reducing delay, Infectious pool & for Vaccine Evaluation) CLHS Project : CLHS Project : Improving Lung Health Services & Standardization of management. BOLD ;COPD Project : BOLD ;COPD Project : Estimate Prevalence of COPD,RF & Trends GIS Project : GIS Project : Using the geographical analysis in health policy decision making Epi-Lab/Projects

Strategic partnerships

NTP STOP TB Partnership (NTP,STBPA,…). PPM Guidelines, Member of the writing committee. TB Booklets & Guidelines. GF Proposals.

ADF/RDF According to the Epi-Lab,Union experience in the CLA Project (WB); Inhaler steroids is the challenge of sustainability.

Technical Assistance  ADF steering Committee capturing the following: ADF procurement. Minimum monitoring requirements for ADF clients. Promotion ; communication & marketing activities. Fundraising for The Union’s asthma activities including ADF

GDF Technical Review a) Review applications for GDF support from countries submitted through the GDF Secretariat, and issue recommendations for Stop TB Partnership's Coordinating Board final decisions. b) Provide technical expertise on GDF operations and documents

TB Reach PRC Wave2: 1ry reviewers for & 2ry reviewer for proposals, grading& scoring depends on primary/plenary  Design of the proposal in term of alignment with health policy & engagement of stakeholders.  Soundness & innovation of the approach.  Process of implementation  Feasibility  Cost- effectiveness, cost/additional case.  Availing of additionality.  Sustainability.  Synergy.  Plan of treatment for cases recruited.

STAC 33 Geneva Desk review June; formal review of: (i) BL reports from 2010; (ii) an updated indicator report (iii) STAC's comments on the new organization and direction of TDR 2010 STAC Reorganization. BL11Integrated community-based interventions. BL8 HIV infected TB patients.

Global Asthma Report: The Union & ISAAC, To bring the plight of the increasing prevalence and severity of the worldwide burden of asthma in children to the attention of the world’s leaders. Evaluation of the Affordability & Accessibility of Asthma Drugs

Review (IJTLD&BMC)  IJTLD editorial, reviewer: "Making innovations work for the poor through implementation by research" (State of the Art). Improving the Impact Factor of BMC to: 2.36 which is an increase on last year’s Impact  European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Paper Review The Evaluation of a standardized Treatment regimen of anti –TB drugs for patients with MDR-TB. 1) Moxifloxacin is to be given at twice the recommended dose, presumably on the basis that a similarly high dose of gatifloxacin was used in the Bangladesh study (justified by a modeling study suggesting that this would be an optimal dose for TB treatment). 2) Are patients with PZA and/or ethambutol resistance withdrawn from the study? If not, will these drugs continue to be given? And, if so, why?. Systematic review“ Interferon-gamma release assays and childhood tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis”,Interferon-gamma release assays and childhood tuberculosis: systematic review and meta-analysis the July issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. It was presented at last year’s WHO expert group meeting on Interferon-Gamma Release Assays (IGRAs) and contributed to recent STAG-TB recommendations on the use of IGRAs in low and middle income countries

Abstract Review Abstract review for 42nd Union World Conference on Lung Health (26-30 October 2011), Lille, France has been completed April 2011 total of 60 abstracts

Ethical Review Ethical review: Active Case Finding in a Primary Healthcare Facility: An Exit Study, Erica Jacobs D. GF R9 India: TB Project: Baseline Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices Survey Sarabjit Chadha Nevin Wilson Permission of Ministry of Health.

Others Mock Review, Netherlands for GFR11 application, Europe Region.

Thank You