March 24 is World TB Day

NEW YORK (March 23, 2009)

Worldwide, more than 2 billion people are infected with tuberculosis (TB); and the disease claims 4,400 victims everyday—that means that one person dies every 20 seconds!

Modern science has come far in terms of prevention and cures, but TB has been a stubborn foe. In late 2007, scientists discovered the most ancient evidence of TB in a 500,000-year-old human fossil. But new strategies are emerging.

"To have a chance at success, the fight against tuberculosis (TB), particularly in Africa, must be linked to better medical care and nutrition for people living with HIV," said Breda Gahan, Global HIV and AIDS Program Advisor for Concern Worldwide, the international relief and development agency.

Sub-Saharan Africa, at 11 percent of the global population, nevertheless accounts for 29 percent of all TB cases, and 34 percent of the fatalities.

Eliminating TB requires a four-pronged approach, said Gahan:

1. A new drug that can overcome drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis (TB);

2. recognition that the current TB crisis in the developing world is both HIV and poverty-driven;

3. and in-depth research of malnutrition as a causal factor in both TB and HIV & AIDS.

Concern Worldwide has stepped up research into the link between HIV-infection and nutrition, pushing for not only for better medical treatment of HIV and AIDS, but also making sure that people have access to a quality balanced diet. "Attention to nutrition has been something of a missing link," said Gahan, adding that "this year Concern is committed to putting as strong a spotlight as possible on the deadly synergy between the three conditions.

In Kenya, in Mukuru, an informal settlement area of Nairobi, Concern is working with a local missionary medical partner that is an expert on the links between TB and HIV and AIDS. This program aims to prevent and effectively manage HIV and TB co-infection among the poorest people in a gravely under-resourced and underserved area. Concern will also work with other NGOs in Kenya to conduct what it labels "operational research" into the link between HIV and AIDS and nutrition and to change the country's health system accordingly, from the bottom up.

In Zambia's Kaoma and Mongu districts, Concern is operating a so-called "backyard garden program" supporting almost 800 HIV-positive individuals. Homegrown vegetables and other foods improve their dietary intake. This program is part of a broader strategy to promote HIV testing and greater access to health care, including treatment for TB.

Concern works in 28 countries around the world, including 17 sub-Saharan African nations, and benefits some 12 million people. The organization's goal is the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty and the reduction of suffering in the world's poorest countries. The organization's programs focus on emergency relief and long-term development work in the areas of health, HIV and AIDS, education and livelihoods.