LIGHT (2020-2026) is a six-year cross-disciplinary global health research programme, funded by UK aid, and led by Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) in collaboration with partners in Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and the UK. LIGHT aims to support policy and practice in transforming gendered pathways to health for people affected by TB in urban settings - enhancing health and well-being, improving socio-economic outcomes and equity, and contributing to the efforts of ending TB by 2030.
Our Goal
The LIGHT Consortium aimed to contribute to real-world change through generating new evidence to inform policies that are gender-responsive and effectively actioned to improve male access to quality TB care; reduce the number of people with TB-related ill health and deaths; reduce transmission to the wider community, including to women and girls; and to reduce devastating associated costs for those with TB and their families.
Why this matters?
Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases worldwide, despite it being preventable and curable. Globally, in 2024, 10.7 million people fell ill with TB, and 1.23 million died from TB (World Health Organization’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025). Notably, men accounted for the majority of the cases (54% of all TB cases compared to 35% among adult women and 11% among children); and two out of every three cases of TB which go undiagnosed or not notified, are in men. Gender plays a significant role in determining health outcomes, including equitable access to quality TB prevention and care. People of different genders face different challenges and thus require tailored solutions to access the care they need.
Addressing these gendered disparities is crucial for reducing TB-related deaths, preventing transmission, and achieving health equity.
What did LIGHT do?
Innovative Research: Generated new evidence to inform gender-responsive TB policies and practice, enhancing access to TB prevention, diagnosis, and care for all.
Strategic Engagement: Collaborated with key stakeholders at national, regional, and global levels, to ensure our research is informed, relevant, effectively communicated, and timely for maximum impact.
Capacity Strengthening: Strengthened the capacity of individuals, institutions, and multiple stakeholders in LIGHT countries to generate, adapt, translate, and utilise evidence, as well as managing research.
LIGHT Introductory Video
Learn more about what we do in LIGHT, and how we are contributing to the efforts of ending TB through our introductory video- where we provide a brief description of the TB challenge and highlight the key research areas that our consortium partners are investigating across four African partner countries and the UK.
