Researchers in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics are pioneering new ways to prevent and control tuberculosis (TB) in Africa. Working with partners, the team has combined mobile digital technologies, biomarker testing, and GPS mapping to identify where new TB infections are occurring in Kampala and to detect individuals recently infected, precisely when their risk of developing disease is highest.

This breakthrough has revealed transmission “hot spots” and demonstrated that preventive treatment can be more effectively targeted to those most at risk, rather than entire communities. The result is a smarter, more efficient strategy to stop TB before it develops and reduce ongoing community transmission in high-burden settings.