The Role of Communication In Peru’s Fight Against Tuberculosis

Each year approximately over two million deaths are TB related. 95% of global TB cases and TB deaths occur in the developing world. Despite the challenges, few of the developing countries have succeeded in achieving the global targets set by WHO. Like as in Peru, the detecting of 70% infections and curing the 85% among them of the TB is one of the successful stories of TB.

Although it is succeeding in its fight against TB, Peru faces new challenges. The National Tuberculosis Control Program (NTCP) is carefully monitoring the development of multi-drug resistance TB (MDR TB).


The role of communication:

The NTCP used communication to address several issues that challenged the program. These issues included:

• Reducing stigma about the disease, especially among health care workers, and introducing an enabling environment for case detection and cure

• Gaining support from political, governmental, international, and local leaders for the program

• Raising awareness about TB in general, including the effectiveness of treatment and that diagnosis and treatment were available at no cost

• Improving knowledge about TB case detection

• Encouraging those with symptoms to seek help

• Strengthening the link between health facilities and the community to improve case detection and treatment success

• Improving both passive and active case identification by building health care workers’ capacity to approach and counsel patients and by increasing community involvement in detecting new cases

• Improving compliance with treatment by motivating patients and supporting volunteers, family members, and the community

• Reaching high-risk groups, particularly the urban poor

• Reaching “closed population” groups with high TB prevalence, such as those living in prisons, mental institutions, retirement homes, and homeless shelters.



Communication activities:

The communication activities that contributed to Peru’s success in TB control included the following things:

• Advocacy

The NTCP engaged political leaders, community leaders, the medical community, and the public with the slogan

“Treatment of one is prevention for all.”

It invited the press to relevant seminars, public gatherings, and parades to encourage media coverage.


• Mass media.
Like as
1. Television and radio
2. Print materials

The NTCP used mass media, including television, radio, and print, to reach the public with information about TB. Peru’s high literacy rate made print media an important tool for improving knowledge of tuberculosis as well.


• Interpersonal communication and counseling
• and community mobilization.


Intensive Program: The NTCP created several intensive programs to motivate health care workers, patients and communities to become involved to the TB control program.

Impact:

• The Peruvian government’s decision to make TB a priority of the national health program.
• Increased resource allocation for TB control programs.
• An increase, then decline, in the number of new cases.
• TB was designated a national health priority. It was given a line in the MOH budget and increased support from international donors.
• Peru achieved the WHO target of 70 percent case detection.
• Peru achieved the WHO target of 85 percent successful treatment. It also decreased the treatment abandonment rate from 12.1 percent to 2.8 percent between 1991 and 2000.