TECOARTE · Epidemiology and control of tuberculosis in the antiretroviral therapy era: towards a mathematical model for Cape Town, South Africa

The resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) has been underway for almost 20 years, and despite increasingly implemented comprehensive control strategies, the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is continuing to expand. There is an urgent need to elucidate the reasons underlying the failing of TB control and to develop innovative public health approaches.This proposal aims to use a variety of epidemiologic methods to describe the local TB epidemic and its drivers, and to determine the potential impact of different public health interventions in Cape Town, South Africa. State-of-the-art statistical techniques will be used to perform an in-depth analysis of all TB cases in Cape Town in the last decade. These data will be used to develop and validate a mathematical model of the local TB epidemic. Projections of this model will be used to estimate the future impact of new and redesigned public health strategies for TB control.This fellowship will provide an opportunity for the fellow to expand her epidemiological and statistical skills, to broaden her expertise in TB and HIV co-infection research, to gain experience in multidisciplinary collaborations including with regional health authorities and to further develop her transferable skills. The experience and training acquired by this fellowship will establish her as an independent scientist, and will enable her to do high-quality multidisciplinary and collaborative research going forward.