The Clock is Ticking
On World TB Day, we know that it will take all of us to end TB for all.
We are dedicated to fighting for an AIDS-free generation for children, youth, and families affected by HIV, and we can’t do this work without also addressing tuberculosis (TB).
Each person’s health is connected to the health of their community. Each aspect of a person’s health is intertwined.
4,300 people die of TB every day.
Children are even more likely to become sick and succumb to the disease, but many children’s cases remain unidentified. And TB is especially dangerous for people living with HIV, as a leading cause of death for HIV-positive people.
EGPAF programs and services help families gain access to TB testing, and then get connected to the treatment they need. We integrate TB care into existing health systems and engage communities, families, and health care providers so that together, we can end TB for good.
This world TB Day, we share the stories of the families, health workers, and communities who know: It is time to end TB.
TB is Curable: Stories from Eswatini
In Eswatini, TB remains a major challenge for patients living with HIV. EGPAF staff and clients work hand in hand to combat both diseases.
Khulile Mamba is 33 years old, and living with HIV in Lombaba, Eswatini. It is very possible to live a healthy life with HIV with proper medication, but at one point, Khulile lost touch with her care facility, and stopped taking her HIV medication as prescribed.
She believes this is when she developed a case of TB—on top of her HIV. She got back in touch with her healthcare providers to get the treatment she needs for both.
Thabsile Malaza is a Cough Officer at the St Mary’s Clinic, an EGPAF partner. She has seen a hesitation in some clients living with HIV to start treatment for TB when they are diagnosed, as they don’t want to take more medicine. Some clients disappear altogether after a diagnosis.
Thabsile’s message to those living with TB is that TB is curable!
People living with HIV and diagnosed with TB can and should take TB medication together with their HIV treatment. That way, we can get one step closer to ending both TB and AIDS.
TB Treatment Works: Stories from Lesotho
Lesotho is considered a high TB burden country, but nearly half of all TB patients in the country go undiagnosed.
Lerato is a nurse working at TB clinic at Queen Elizabeth hospital in Maseru, Lesotho. Her role is to support TB diagnoses, provide treatment to patients when needed, and provide education on sticking to treatment.
In order to make sure that patients who may be living with TB can get a diagnosis and get connected with treatment, EGPAF provides clients with vouchers to cover X-ray fees and facilitate a timely TB diagnosis.
When patients keep up with their TB treatment, they can recover more quickly and avoid developing a drug-resistant strain. “TB is preventable and curable as long as you adhere to your treatment,” Lerato explains.
EGPAF has also engaged our community partner, LENEPWHA, to conduct contact tracing in TB patients’ homes and the community. Contact tracing is a process of following up with people in close contact with someone who is diagnosed with TB, in case they might have it, too. If TB is ruled out for children under 15, they are given medication to help prevent TB.
Working in a TB clinic, Lerato has seen very ill TB patients recover with the help of her team, and in 2020, the clinic had no child mortality from TB. Lerato is given hope whenever she sees test results of a patient who completed their treatment and has been cured of TB. Lerato shares:
“My message to all is that TB treatment works.”
Children Defeating TB: Stories from Tanzania
“I was coughing for some time and my chest was in pain.” When Kamba’s health began to worsen, she went to the nearest health center where she connected with medical professionals supported by EGPAF to address TB. She was diagnosed with TB, and given medication for six months. “I am now well,” Kamba shares.
Through the Catalyzing Pediatric TB Innovations (CaP TB) project supported by Unitaid, and the Boresha Afya project supported by USAID, EGPAF tackles the difficult issue of TB in children and families, and has supported several health facilities to identify people living with HIV and TB.
Kamwa Luhende’s family is among those reached. Her children were found to be living with TB, but they were connected with treatment and are now doing well.
“I am thankful to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation,” shares Kamwa . “I am thankful [my children] are doing well.”
Dr. Maria Rume, District TB Coordinator, says that before these projects started it was difficult to reach families who lived in remote areas. “Most of them could not afford to go to the facility to get the service.”
With EGPAF’s support Dr. Rume’s team was able to provide contact racing with 130 families, and got 93 individuals enrolled in treatment for prevention of TB. This way the risk of transmission between family members is reduced—and we are closer to a world without TB.
Fighting TB: Stories from Zimbabwe
75-year-old Grandma Konde is a caregiver for her three grandchildren. She could see that her youngest granddaughter, Felistas, was not developing and thriving as she should. At 1 year old, Felistas still could not walk. She had no energy to play and spent most of her time crying. Even more worrying, Felistas had a cough that did not go away.
Konde and her husband talked to their local village health worker, who immediately referred them to the nearest clinic, where Felistas tested positive for both HIV and TB. At the health center supported by EGPAF, she was connected with the proper treatment.
75-year-old Grandma Konde is a caregiver for her three grandchildren. She could see that her youngest granddaughter, Felistas, was not developing and thriving as she should. At 1 year old, Felistas still could not walk. She had no energy to play and spent most of her time crying.
Even more worrying, Felistas had a cough that did not go away.
Konde and her husband talked to their local village health worker, who immediately referred them to the nearest clinic, where Felistas tested positive for both HIV and TB. At the health center supported by EGPAF, she was connected with the proper treatment.
With support from Unitaid through our CaP TB project, EGPAF has been working with the Ministry of Health and Child Care in Zimbabwe to support access to more child-friendly TB services.
CaP TB also supports community organizations in Zimbabwe—and seven other countries—to advocate for better medicines and services for pediatric TB.
“When I see children not being provided with adequate health services it’s a clear violation of their rights, and I must fight for them,” says Tatenda Makoni, the executive director of the Zimbabwe National Network of People Living with HIV (ZNNP+).
EGPAF is providing a small grant to ZNNP+ to scale up its advocacy work for increased access to childhood TB services.
“TB and HIV are community diseases—spread among communities, not at the health facility, so equipping community-based organizations with the right skills is essential,” Tatenda shares.
Through GAP-f, a WHO initiative, EGPAF and our partners work to deliver a faster, more efficient, and more focused approach to pediatric formulation development. It is a collaborative framework that can help provide access to better pediatric products more quickly, because children need and deserve child-friendly medicine.
Together We Can End TB: Stories from Uganda
When Zephania was coughing blood and experiencing chest pain, night sweats, and fever, he sought medical attention. He was diagnosed with TB, a disease for which people living with HIV like Zephania can be especially at risk.
After Zephania’s diagnosis, he and his wife Kelia received health workers trained by EGPAF through Unitaid support. Kelia and three of their children also tested positive. Each member of the family was connected with treatment.
“When the health workers started our children on treatment, it meant that I would be relieved and my family members are helped—because the children are now healthy,” says Zephania.
Together, we can end TB. Zephania and Kelia know this firsthand.
The clock is ticking. It’s time to end TB.
As a leader in the fight for a TB-free generation, EGPAF is working to ensure children and adolescents are prioritized in the global TB response. Learn more about our fight against tuberculosis.
Unitaid is a global health agency engaged in finding innovative solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases more quickly, cheaply and effectively, in low- and middle-income countries. Our work includes funding initiatives to address major diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, as well as HIV co-infections and co-morbidities such as cervical cancer and hepatitis C, and cross-cutting areas, such as fever management.
Unitaid is now applying its expertise to address challenges in advancing new therapies and diagnostics for the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as a key member of the Access to COVID Tools Accelerator. Unitaid is hosted by the World Health Organization.
Team EGPAF
Global
Community Mobilization; Pediatric HIV Diagnosis, Care & Treatment; Policy & Advocacy; Strengthening Local Capacity; Tuberculosis
