Advancing Tuberculosis Control and Strengthening Strategic Partnership — A Visit by Gates Foundation Experts to China CDC’s National Center for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention

To further advance the implementation of the National Administration of Disease Prevention and Control/Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention–Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Tuberculosis Prevention and Control Cooperation Project (hereinafter referred to as “the Project”) and to deliberate on the planning and execution strategies for future collaboration, a high-level experts delegation conducted a visit to the National Center for Tuberculosis Control and Prevention (NCTB) at the China CDC on April 1, 2025. The delegation comprised Dr. Peter Baron Piot, Senior Advisor to the Gates Foundation; Professor Heidi Jane Larson from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine; and Dr. Huan Shitong, Senior Program Officer at the Gates Foundation’s Beijing Representative Office.

 

Zhao Yanlin, Director of the NCTB, extended a warm welcome to the visiting experts and reviewed the history of cooperation between the two sides. He highlighted the critical importance of the Project in advancing tuberculosis prevention and control efforts across China. Subsquently, researcher Huang Fei presented a detailed report on the epidemiological status of tuberculosis in China, national strategies for prevention and control, and the current progress of the Project. During the discussion session, participating experts engaged in in-depth exchanges regarding the implementation progress, existing challenges, and response strategies. They proposed constructive recommendations to ensure the smooth and efficient execution of project activities.

 

Since its inception in China in 2009, the Project has successfully completed three phases. By adhering to the design principle of “validation–demonstration–scaling-up,” the Project has progressed steadily over time. At each stage, it has prioritied distinct objectives and achieved substantial outcomes, particularly in the evaluation of novel TB diagnostic technologies and the development of integrated prevention and control models. The current phase of the Project, scheduled for 2025 to 2027, aims to explore differentiated TB control models tailored to regions with varying levels of epidemic intensity, with the overarching goal of accelerating the reduction in TB incidence and ultimately achieving disease elimination.

 

This exchange visit established a robust foundation for future in-depth collaboration. Both parties reaffirmed their dedication to the principles of mutual benefit and shared advancement, committing to continuously explore innovative strategies to tuberculosis control together, thereby making further contributions to global efforts aimed at ending  the TB epidemic.