| Tuberculosis
Responding to the global pandemic of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is the single most
deadly infectious disease and kills two million people each
year. Of the eight million new cases annually, 95 per cent
are in developing countries. Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are
the hardest hit, but Eastern Europe has recently seen a major
increase in the incidence and deaths related to TB after many
years of steady decline. An estimated 75 per cent of people
with TB are between the ages of 15-44, which is seriously
damaging socio-economic development.
In 1993, the World Health Organisation (WHO) launched the
Stop TB initiative in response to the growing crisis. Since
1998, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies has been working closely with National Societies
and the WHO to control the TB epidemic in Eastern Europe.
These efforts were initially intended to serve as pilot projects
to gain experience and to provide assistance to patients and
their families. Such programmes have shown that there is an
urgent need to scale up activities in order to have a greater
impact on the epidemic worldwide.
The best way to prevent new cases
of TB is by breaking the chain of transmission through early
detection of active cases and assuring complete and effective
treatment of people with the disease. TB transmission continues
because many patients are never diagnosed or are diagnosed
late in the course of their disease. Moreover, complete treatment
of pulmonary tuberculosis requires at least six months of
daily therapy with three or more antibiotics following the
initial treatment period. Many patients with active tuberculosis,
however, feel better after several weeks of treatment and
do not complete a full treatment course and therfore may still
represent a high risk.
To assure that complete treatment
of patients with active TB, the WHO has promoted the use of
Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course (DOTS). DOTS has
proven to be a cost-effective and successful treatment method.
A full course of treatment lasts for about six months and
can cost as little as US$11.
Controlling TB requires more than
just providing medicines to patients. It necessitates a comprehensive
public health response. This must include education, early
case detection through careful surveillance, microscopy, bacteriological
testing, social support to patients and their families, counselling,
and finally assuring that affected individuals complete their
full treatment course. In this regard, in collaboration with
national ministries of health, the WHO and other partners,
the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement can
play a major role in fighting TB. |
Health and community care
(400 kb, 26 pages)
