The Gambia moves forward to ending TB in children and adolescents
On 4th Jun 2025, the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Programme of The Gambia in collaboration with KNCV TB Plus, together with national and international interest-holders supporting TB services and children’s social welfare conducted a dissemination workshop sharing the achievements, identified gaps and co-designed a roadmap of action to ending TB in children and adolescents.
On 4 June 2025, the National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Programme (NLTP) of The Gambia, in partnership with KNCV TB Plus, convened a national dissemination workshop under the SMT project titled “Ensure no child suffers from TB through EARLY detection, RIGHT diagnosis, and RIGHT treatment.” The participants of the workshop included key national and international interest-holders working in tuberculosis (TB) care and child welfare to review progress, identify remaining challenges, and chart the path forward.
About the workshop
During the workshop, the NLTP shared the results of the comprehensive self-assessment conducted with the KNCV-developed benchmarking and planning tool for TB in children and adolescents that evaluated current efforts to improve TB service delivery, early detection, and timely treatment of TB in children and adolescents, and establish effective interest-holder coordination. The workshop served as a platform to align all interest-holders on the urgent need to improve TB responses tailored specifically to the needs of younger populations.
A major outcome of the event was the development of a strategic roadmap to help meet national targets and improve the quality of life for children and adolescents affected by TB. This roadmap outlines concrete actions to strengthen early detection, accurate diagnosis, and appropriate treatment services, while also integrating social welfare support for families.
Interest-holders emphasized the importance of harmonizing existing approaches, establishing a national coordination mechanism, and leveraging available resources to address challenges identified in the self-assessment. The shared commitment to collaboration and child-focused care is a promising step toward eliminating TB as a threat to children and adolescent’s health in The Gambia.
