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TB Infection Control Subgroup


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TB Infection Control Subgroup
of the Global TB/HIV Working Group

Terms of Reference |  Mode of Operation |  Ways of working |  The Core Team

Mission of the TB Infection Control Subgroup

To reduce the transmission of TB in health care and congregate settings, e.g., prisons, nursing homes, military compounds, refugee settlements with special attention to HIV prevalent settings and the emerging MDR and XDR TB context, through the development, implementation, and evaluation of TB infection control policies and strategies.

The Goal of the TB Infection Control Subgroup

To develop, test, monitor, evaluate, advocate and support implementation of policy, tools, and procedures to promote effective TB infection control in health care and congregate settings.

Terms of Reference

  • To advise the WHO on the development of policies, strategies, research priorities, and guidelines for implementing effective tuberculosis infection control practices with emphasis on MDR- TB, XDR-TB, and TB/HIV, based on available knowledge, latest evidence, and practical field experience.

  • To build strategic partnerships for effective TB infection control with other Stop TB Partnership working groups, especially MDR-TB, and DOTS Expansion, with WHO Departments (HIV, CDS), occupational health groups, the scientific community, health care providers, and representatives of workers, patients, visitors, and others in the community directly and indirectly affected by TB transmission.

  • To build capacity at the country level for infection control implementation, including advocating for the training of international and national technical consultants in TB infection control, and facilitating their availability to provide technical assistance for the scale-up of TB infection control activities.

  • To prioritize the protection of health care workers, particularly PLHIV, by ensuring that global occupational health and safety programs understand the negative impact of TB transmission on health care workers, and that they advocate for TB infection control in the workplace.

  • To assist WHO and partners to develop and implement ways to monitor the implementation of infection control measures at the country level, including the development and testing of performance indicators to identify implementation and efficacy issues that may require additional attention.

  • To estimate the costs of implementing infection control activities, and advocate for resource mobilization, while monitoring the inclusion of specific funding for infection control in project proposals and funding opportunities.

  • To strengthen the working relationships and collaboration with the scientific community, health care providers, and representatives of workers, patients, visitors, and other stakeholders in airborne infection control in health care and congregate settings, e.g., agencies dealing with refugees, internally displaced persons, prisons, nursing homes, and military barracks.

Mode of Operation

The form of the TB Infection Control Subgroup (TB IC SG)

Governance

The TB IC SG is a subgroup of the Global TB/HIV Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership.

The Secretariat

The Secretariat is hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the United States. The Secretariat is responsible for organizing the TB IC SG and Core Team (CT) meetings, to prepare the agenda and relevant documents, in consultation with the Chair and members of the CT, to prepare and distribute the reports of the meetings, to monitor implementation of the activities of the TB IC SG, and to manage resources provided for the functioning of the Subgroup.

Composition

The Subgroup will be composed of members, with broad representation from institutions, professions and countries with experience and/or interest in tuberculosis infection control. This includes representatives with expertise in clinical practice, both physicians and infection control nurses, infectious disease control experts, hospital managers, building and ventilation engineers, occupational health and quality control practitioners. Representatives of national disease control programmes, Ministries of Health, non-governmental organizations, bilateral and multilateral aid agencies, and research institutions will also be invited to participate. Membership is open to any individual, institution or agency which supports the goal of the TB IC SG. Members may be solicited based on their potential contribution to the activities of the TBIC SG. Membership will be open to interested persons, with a rolling enrolment. A Core Team will be established to expedite the work of the Subgroup.

Ways of working

The Meeting of the TB Infection Control Subgroup

  • The TB IC SG will meet once per year.

  • The site of the meeting will not be fixed: rotation between high burden countries and industrialized countries is desirable. Members are requested to consider hosting meetings.

  • The annual meeting will serve to support activities aimed at expanding TB infection control nationally, and as a venue to share experiences and build linkages with other infection control institutions and stakeholders.

The Chair

  • The Chair of the Subgroup will be responsible for chairing the meetings of the Subgroup and Core Team. The Chair will be assisted by a vice-chair for this function.

  • The Chair will represent the SG in the Core Group of the Global TB/HIV Working group, and act as the chief link between the SG and the WG.

  • The Chair will have an overview of the functions of the TB IC SG, and will monitor the implementation of activities and plan of work of the SG.

  • The Chair will serve a term of two years, and will be eligible for re-election for a second consecutive term.

  • The Chair will liaise with the Chair of the TB/HIV WG to ensure the engagement of the larger working group on strategic issues pertinent to the mission of the TB IC SG.

The Vice-Chair

  • The Chair will be assisted in all normative functions by the vice-chair.

  • The vice-chair will also assist the Chair during meetings of the SG and CT.

  • The vice-chair will represent the Chair at the Core Group meeting of the Global TB/HIV Working group when the Chair is not able to attend.

  • The vice-chair will be a current member of the Core Team and will be selected, reflecting geographic and gender equity, by the Chair in consultation with the secretariat.

  • Members of the Core Team will vote by majority vote on the candidate selected by the Chair. The candidate will recuse herself/himself from the voting.

  • The vice-chair will serve a term of two years. In the event that the vice-chair is selected during the term that the Chair is serving, this period will be shorter (until the end of the term that the Chair is serving). The vice-chair will be eligible for re-election for a second consecutive term as a vice-chair, or for selection as the Chair at the end of his/her term as a vice-chair.

Selection process for the Chair

  • One member of the TB/HIV Core Group and one member of the TB Infection Control Subgroup will be asked by the Secretariat to form a nomination committee, together with one secretariat staff;

  • Members of this committee will not be eligible for nomination for the Chair position;

  • The nomination committee, with the support of the Secretariat, will send an email to the TB Infection Control Subgroup members requesting nominations of candidates for the Chair; there should be only one nomination per member;

  • The nomination committee will check the willingness and availability of the nominees to take on the function of Chair.

  • The nomination committee will send an email to the TB Infection Control Core Team with the three top nominees (highest number of nominations), for approval;

  • If any member of the Core Team is a nominee, they will recuse themselves from the discussion and from the voting;

  • The nomination committee will send an email listing the top three nominees to all members of the TB Infection Control Subgroup requesting a vote by email; one vote per member will be allowed;

  • The nomination committee will open the votes and request that the candidate with the most votes accept the Chair position. Should the incumbent decline the invitation to become Chair, the second candidate will be contacted.

  • Should the shortlist be insufficient to appoint the Chair, the committee will initiate the selection process again.

The Core Team

The Core Team aims to facilitate and accelerate decision making, and guide the strategic direction of the SG. The CT will have a membership of not more than ten members. Members will be requested to allocate time for their function in the Core Team, and expected to serve as spokespersons for the work of the SG in their routine professional work. Members who miss two consecutive face to face meetings will be requested to reconsider their membership to allow room for new members.

All individual members will be invited to join the Core Team based on their individual capacity, outstanding skills and contribution that they will bring to the mission of the Subgroup. They will have a two year membership in the Core Team. The Chair and Secretariat will select all individual members with due consideration of their expertise, geographical representation and outstanding contributions to TB infection control.

The Core Team will meet physically twice per year, depending on availability of resources. Moreover, the CT will meet by telephone or by video conference as required by the SG Chair or Secretariat;

Please join the TB Infection Control Subgroup and contribute to the scaling up of TB infection control and making safer health facilities for all. Contact tbic@who.int for more information.