Kiribati is a remote Pacific Island Country in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, literally spanning the international date line.
The capital South Tarawa, one of the most densely populated areas in the Pacific, has among the highest tuberculosis and leprosy incidence rates in the world.
To reduce this excessive disease burden, the Pathway to the Elimination of Antibiotic Resistant and Latent Tuberculoisis in the Pacific (PEARL) Project is working closely with the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS) and the Pacific Leprosy Foundation (PLF) to ‘test & treat’ the whole population of South Tarawa for both diseases.
An expanded project (PEARL+) will also focus on vaccine preventable aspects of disease, in partnership with the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS).
Our Director, Professor Ben Marais, is a paediatric infectious diseases specialist whose research focuses on global tuberculosis control, the emergence and spread of drug resistant disease and how children are affected by the tuberculosis pandemic, which remains the leading infectious diseases killer on the planet.
Mailing address
Westmead Hospital
Level 5, Block K
Westmead NSW 2145
