QIAGEN reinforces commitment to tuberculosis prevention at 2026 Queensland World TB Day event

• As sole sponsor of the annual Queensland World TB Day workshop, QIAGEN continues its multi-year partnership with Queensland Health’s TB program
• Collaboration focuses on prevention and program enablement through education, workflow support and practical solutions for clinics across Queensland
• Enabling TB infection screening across Metro and Regional clinics using QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus

Melbourne, Australia, March 25, 2026 – QIAGEN today announced its participation in the Queensland World TB Day event at the Translational Research Institute in Brisbane. As sole sponsor, QIAGEN continued its multi-year commitment to Queensland Health’s Tuberculosis (TB) Program, supporting TB prevention and screening efforts statewide.

In recognition of World Tuberculosis Day on March 24, the Queensland World TB Day event brings together healthcare professionals and public health stakeholders. The workshop provides an opportunity to review the current TB situation, share updates on progress across Queensland and reaffirm the state’s long-standing commitment to TB prevention, screening and elimination.

The annual event is led by Dr Geoffery Eather, Director of the Metro South Tuberculosis Service, who has overseen the event for many years and continues to serve as its clinical lead. Under his leadership, the event has become a key platform for sharing progress, clinical insights and public health priorities related to TB control in Queensland.

QIAGEN continues to support TB infection screening across Metro and Regional clinics using QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, a test that has been used by Queensland’s TB programs for many years. Collaboration between QIAGEN and the TB Program focuses on prevention and program enablement, supporting clinics with practical solutions aligned to real‑world operational needs.

This collaboration includes tailored workflow support to strengthen TB infection testing pathways and help reduce loss to follow-up during screening initiatives, particularly in refugee and migrant screening programs. It also addresses practical operational challenges, including blood collection in remote locations. QIAGEN has supported clinics by providing recommendations to improve operational flexibility, and the ability to incubate samples on-site, helping services manage logistical constraints while maintaining effective TB infection screening pathways.

Although Australia is considered a low TB burden country, TB remains an ongoing public health challenge (1). Nationally, TB incidence is estimated at approximately 6.2 cases per 100,000 population, with the majority of cases associated with reactivation of TB infection (2). In Queensland, TB notifications have increased in recent years, with the state reporting a notification rate of 4.4 cases per 100,000 population in 2024, reinforcing the importance of continued prevention, early detection and follow‑up (3).

“QIAGEN has been a trusted partner to Queensland’s TB program for many years. QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus has played an important role in supporting our TB clinics, both metropolitan and regional, particularly for TB infection screening and complex contact investigations,” said Dr Geoffery Eather, Director of the Metro South Tuberculosis Service “We value this ongoing collaboration and look forward to continuing to work together to support effective TB control efforts across Queensland.”

“QIAGEN’s role in TB prevention goes beyond providing a test. It is about showing up year after year and working alongside TB services on the realities they face in clinics every day,” said Piers Murray, Head of Sales, Australia and New Zealand at QIAGEN. “Through our long-standing partnership with Queensland’s TB Program, we are proud to support Queensland Health and Dr Eather’s team by focusing on what makes improvements in life possible.”

QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus is the world’s leading interferon-gamma release assay (IGRAs) blood test, with millions of tests performed annually. It has established itself as a superior alternative to the dated Tuberculin skin test (TST), which is less effective in identifying TB infection in people who have received BCG vaccination. The test supports streamlined laboratory workflows through the use of whole blood samples, enabling practical implementation across diverse clinical settings. International guidance from organizations such as the WHO and CDC recognizes the role of blood-based IGRA testing, including QuantiFERON-TB Gold Plus, in TB control efforts.

References:

1. Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care. (2022). The strategic plan for control of tuberculosis in Australia 2021–2025. https://www.health.gov.au/resources/publications/the-strategic-plan-for-control-of-tuberculosis-in-australia-2021-2025.
2. World Bank. (2024). Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100,000 people) – Australia. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.TBS.INCD?locations=AU
3. Queensland Health. (2025). Tuberculosis epidemiology summary 2024. Queensland Government. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0027/1463454/tb-epi-summary-2024.pdf

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is a global leader in Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to extract and analyze molecular information from biological samples containing the building blocks of life. Our Sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies prepare these biomolecules for analysis, while bioinformatics support the interpretation of complex data to deliver actionable insights. Automation solutions integrate these steps into streamlined, cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN serves more than 500,000 customers worldwide in the Life Sciences (academia, pharmaceutical R&D and industrial applications such as forensics) and Molecular Diagnostics (clinical healthcare). As of December 31, 2025, QIAGEN employed approximately 5,700 people across more than 35 locations. For more information, visit http://www.qiagen.com.