SILVER SPRING, Md.--Even as the percentage of the world's population becoming ill with tuberculosis (TB) is in decline, community-led efforts to eradicate this deadly disease must increase in tandem with economic development initiatives, said the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).

ADRA is implementing projects worldwide to stop the spread of TB, educating communities on prevention and diagnosis, and providing medicine, food, and vocational training for those affected by the disease.

Through ADRA India's TB-Jumpstart Project, more than 100 civil society organizations in eight districts of Bihar state, eastern India, are partnering with ADRA to reduce the rates of mortality and morbidity in the region, by empowering communities through education, behavior change, and increased participation, while improving community access to diagnosis and treatment.

India, with 3.3 million existing TB cases, has the highest number of infections worldwide and the second highest rate-1.9 million-of new infections per year, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2009 Global Tuberculosis Control Report.

"If we really want to see our work succeed, it is essential that we involve more community members and organizations to achieve the greatest impact possible," said Ravi Bhatnagar, TB-Jumpstart project manager for ADRA India, speaking at the recent 3rd Stop TB Partners Forum held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the importance of working to eradicate TB through community-led interventions.

In Tamil Nadu state, southern India, the "Treatment for One is Prevention for All" (TOPA) project is benefitting approximately 196,000 people. The focus of this initiative to educate communities about TB has resulted in a higher rate of detection, which has helped lower infection numbers.

On March 8, during an ADRA-sponsored International Women's Day rally, more than 40,000 women pledged to increase their TB referrals for other women, while more than 90 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) also agreed to work with communities to stop the spread of TB.

TB remains a serious health threat in Peru, which accounts for just 3 percent of the total population of the Americas, but has 14 percent of the region's TB cases, according to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

In various Peruvian health entities, including the Ministry of Health's National Institute of Children's Health and 18 other hospitals, ADRA has been working to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of health personnel. This has helped increase their rate of early detection and reduced the overall number of TB cases in the coastal province of Callao, an urban area that forms part of the Lima Metropolitan Area where almost one-third of Peru's population of 29 million live. Additionally, ADRA is educating 1,500 TB patients about the disease, helping them understand their rights, and improving their economic status through small loans, vocational training, and psychosocial support.

"Tuberculosis is often referred to as a disease of poverty," said Walter Britton, country director for ADRA Peru. "By increasing the families' household income, we will be able to reduce the number of new cases of TB, and the number of cases of secondary transmission."

In the Philippines, many children contract TB from their parents, but are unable to receive medication due to the high cost of treatment. To meet the needs of those children, ADRA has already provided medicine for more than 250 children since the project began in 2006.

"Due to the TB infection, many of the children looked malnourished and younger than their actual ages," said Yvonne Heinrich, acting senior programs officer for ADRA Philippines. "The communities are grateful that these children have been given a chance to live a normal life."

After receiving treatment, more than half of the children have gained at least two pounds a month, and look much healthier than before, added Heinrich.

TB is a contagious airborne disease that spreads when infectious carriers cough, sneeze, spit, or propel mycobacteria inside aerosol droplets into the air. Small quantities of mycobacteria are enough to infect a person, according to WHO. In fact, a person with an active case of TB can infect on average between 10 to 15 people in a year.

In 2007, WHO estimates that there were 9.27 million new TB cases worldwide, while some 1.7 million people died from the disease that year. Currently, more than 13.7 million people are infected with TB globally.

ADRA is a non-governmental organization present in 125 countries providing sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race or ethnicity.

For more information about ADRA, visit www.adra.org.

Author: Nadia McGill