About TEAM2

To achieve the project’s objectives, Tuberculosis Elimination Among Migrants (TEAM2) works with multiple sub-recipients (SR) at different levels ranging from the community level to national  Tuberculosis (TB) programs and at regional level. It also prioritizes actions to promote political commitment and action for regional policy development with the longer-term objective to secure an endorsed regional legal/policy framework for long term cooperation and improve understanding about the efficacy of migrant-specific interventions related to TB prevention, control and elimination.

TEAM2 Footprint

Target Beneficiaries

Target beneficiaries include populations who are not covered by existing NTP or National TB grants and/ or which have been identified as highly vulnerable for TB due to prevalence, co-infection, social determinants of health, or barriers in accessing TB diagnosis and treatment support, and vary according to geographical location. Target groups include cross-border migrants, returnees, refugees, host communities, migrants in special economic zones, IDPs, LGBTQI+ migrants, and other vulnerable populations including victims of trafficking, the elderly, and people living with HIV/AIDS.

It is increasingly well documented and understood that the absence of targeted TB prevention and control strategies for such groups creates significant barriers in reaching TB elimination targets.

TEAM2 Strategies

TEAM2 project priorities are in line with globally agreed standards, alongside existing recommendations on addressing TB among migrants and mobile populations.

		Increase migrant sensitivity of health service provision for TB services (and specifically to increase migrants’ access to those services) Active case finding (ACF) in specific migrant groups/ geographic locations. Attention will be paid to evaluating ACF strategies in terms of diagnostic algorithm and cost-effectiveness to generate recommendations for integration into national programs Passive case finding (PCF) via NTPs as well as community-based mechanisms Community level peer outreach and health education Promoting migrant health insurance, including for TB patients; promoting TB screening for insured migrants
		Develop policies and legal frameworks aimed at improved TB control in migrants, to facilitate longer-term policy change and enhance service access for people on the move Conduct regional consultations and high-level advocacy towards developing a regional policy framework for TB and health care for migrants in the GMS Link TEAM2 activities to ongoing and emerging legal and policy frameworks at country, GMS, and supra-regional level for improved migration/migration health governance Consider opportunities for interlinkages at the policy level pertaining to universal health care, and HIV, malaria, COVID-19 and TB for people on the move, to try and enhance support to all diseases through leveraging and potentially expanding pre-existing agreements, policy, legislation and regulation
		Improve monitoring and evaluation of TB in migrants Operationalize a regional cross-border TB database and referral system to facilitate patient referrals for active TB cases, and transfer in/transfer out of TB cases from national programs Enhance and improve national reporting of TB data for migrants and mobile populations Evaluate strategies undertaken to reach migrants and mobile populations to create recommendations for national TB programs/grants
		Develop, set up, and maintain partnerships, networks and multi-country frameworks Foster strategic partnerships beyond TB programs, including with regional HIV/AIDS and malaria initiatives among other Pilot, strengthen and systematize cross-border referral mechanisms Facilitate enhanced regional collaboration and networking among stakeholders working on TB and migration in the GMS

Partners

IOM also works with multiple implementing partners across health and migration sectors to effectively implement TEAM2 programming, whilst ensuring coordination and participation of all relevant stakeholders. With numerous interventions targeted specifically at the community level so as to reach some of the world’s most vulnerable hardest-to-reach beneficiaries, IOM engages closely with civil society (including migrant groups), ministries of health, including National TB control programmes (NTP), the private sector (i.e. private healthcare providers, insurance sector), non-governmental organizations, academia, alongside key humanitarian and development agencies.

Contact

For more information about TEAM2 programming, contact RObangkokmigrationhealth@iom.int.