TB/HIV IN SIERRA LEONE
The factors that increase a
person’s vulnerability to tuberculosis (TB) or reduce their access to services
to prevent, diagnose and treat TB are associated with their ability to realize
their human rights. Utilizing a human
rights-based approach to TB prevention, treatment and care can help the
government in its campaign to eradicate or control the spread and effect of
this disease among the populace.
The spread and persistence of TB is deeply rooted in poverty. Poverty and low socio-economic status as well as legal, structural and social barriers prevention universal access to quality TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. The promotion and realization of human rights is essential to overcome these barriers, diminish people’s vulnerability to TB and ensure an effective response to TB as well as to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and increase impact on health, development and human rights more broadly.
Advocacy, communication and social mobilization (ACSM) also forms an integral part of TB care and control activities. They highlight and bring to focus key areas that are essential to control TB, mobilization of resources through collaborative approaches, increase awareness about TB and empower communities to be partners, involving them in decision-making and monitoring the quality of services they receive.
The ACSM component 5 of the WHO Stop TB Program empowers people with TB and communities to participate at all levels in the fight against TB. The Stop TB strategy of WHO emphasized the importance of ACSM at country level to scale up activities to achieve the TB control global targets for case detection and treatment success. Several broad activities of ACSM will include: educating policy makers and leads about the DOTS strategy as part of advocacy efforts to ensure TB is placed high on the political agenda, educating TB patients and their families about TB, its mode of transmission and treatment, on training providers in establishing effective relationships with clients, and educating the general public about TB through mass media campaigns to ensure broad consensus and social commitment within civil society to combat stigma and eliminate TB as a public health problem.
TB and HIV/AIDS constitute a deadly co-epidemic in many regions of the world. HIV/AIDS is the greatest risk factor the development of active TB and fueling a resurgence of TB epidemic in areas of high HIV/AIDS prevalence, making it a leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS. According to World Health Organization (WHO) TB accounts for approximately 15% of AIDS related deaths world wide and nearly 30% of AIDS deaths in sub-Sahara Africa.
Despite these clear linkages between these two diseases, there has not been sufficient collaboration between national TB and HIV/AIDS programs and policies in Sierra Leone. The low political commitment to TB in contrast to what obtain in HIV/AIDS Programmes and the Lack of civil society involvement in TB and interaction between TB and HIV among policy makers, care providers and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). Other factors include the high level stigma surrounding TB, Insufficient Government Funding for TB programmes compared to HIV and Death of health care workers. There had been no specific budget line tied around TB for scaling up its activities
In most parts of the world, more cases of TB are diagnosed among men than women. It is unclear if the high rates of TB among men are due to biological (that is sex-linked) or gender-based (that is socio-cultural) factors. Despite the higher case notification in men, TB remains and a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Each year, more than 3 million are diagnosed with TB and approximately 750,000 will die of the disease. More women die of TB each year than from all maternal conditions. Data suggest that women progress from TB infection active.
The spread and persistence of TB is deeply rooted in poverty. Poverty and low socio-economic status as well as legal, structural and social barriers prevention universal access to quality TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. The promotion and realization of human rights is essential to overcome these barriers, diminish people’s vulnerability to TB and ensure an effective response to TB as well as to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and increase impact on health, development and human rights more broadly.
Advocacy, communication and social mobilization (ACSM) also forms an integral part of TB care and control activities. They highlight and bring to focus key areas that are essential to control TB, mobilization of resources through collaborative approaches, increase awareness about TB and empower communities to be partners, involving them in decision-making and monitoring the quality of services they receive.
The ACSM component 5 of the WHO Stop TB Program empowers people with TB and communities to participate at all levels in the fight against TB. The Stop TB strategy of WHO emphasized the importance of ACSM at country level to scale up activities to achieve the TB control global targets for case detection and treatment success. Several broad activities of ACSM will include: educating policy makers and leads about the DOTS strategy as part of advocacy efforts to ensure TB is placed high on the political agenda, educating TB patients and their families about TB, its mode of transmission and treatment, on training providers in establishing effective relationships with clients, and educating the general public about TB through mass media campaigns to ensure broad consensus and social commitment within civil society to combat stigma and eliminate TB as a public health problem.
TB and HIV/AIDS constitute a deadly co-epidemic in many regions of the world. HIV/AIDS is the greatest risk factor the development of active TB and fueling a resurgence of TB epidemic in areas of high HIV/AIDS prevalence, making it a leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS. According to World Health Organization (WHO) TB accounts for approximately 15% of AIDS related deaths world wide and nearly 30% of AIDS deaths in sub-Sahara Africa.
Despite these clear linkages between these two diseases, there has not been sufficient collaboration between national TB and HIV/AIDS programs and policies in Sierra Leone. The low political commitment to TB in contrast to what obtain in HIV/AIDS Programmes and the Lack of civil society involvement in TB and interaction between TB and HIV among policy makers, care providers and people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs). Other factors include the high level stigma surrounding TB, Insufficient Government Funding for TB programmes compared to HIV and Death of health care workers. There had been no specific budget line tied around TB for scaling up its activities
In most parts of the world, more cases of TB are diagnosed among men than women. It is unclear if the high rates of TB among men are due to biological (that is sex-linked) or gender-based (that is socio-cultural) factors. Despite the higher case notification in men, TB remains and a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women. Each year, more than 3 million are diagnosed with TB and approximately 750,000 will die of the disease. More women die of TB each year than from all maternal conditions. Data suggest that women progress from TB infection active.
