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World Tuberculosis Day: ADRA Calls for Increased Tuberculosis Control in India

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) is working with dozens of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and state officials to advocate for increased tuberculosis (TB) control in northeastern India, where this infectious disease remains one of the leading causes of death, reported the agency. ADRA India expects to call for a renewed commitment to fight this disease during an all-day World Tuberculosis Day event on March 24 in the Bihar state capital of Patna. ADRA, along with other major TB players, including the World Health Organization (WHO), LEPRA Society, the Damien Foundation, and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI), is holding the event, which will be attended by more than 100 NGOs, state government officials, district representatives, community leaders, and religious leaders from India’s largest faith organizations.

“This is the first time that NGOs working on TB have come together to voice their concern at this level,” said Shalini Sahay, project manager for ADRA India. “It is the result of our continuous advocacy efforts.”

The event is designed to raise awareness about the issue of TB and empower communities to seek testing and treatment at existing government TB health facilities. In addition, it will also address concerns about TB challenges within the state and district, encouraging the improvement of TB units and other operational issues. Meanwhile, ADRA continues to implement the Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization (ACSM) project for TB Control in Bihar, which began in October 2008. This campaign uses innovative methods, including the use of bicycles, rickshaws, and even elephants to broadcast TB-related messages within hard-to-reach areas as a way to raise awareness about the deadly disease among the country’s poorest populations. Among ACSM’s goals is to change community attitudes toward the disease as a way to encourage participation in order to improve early TB detection rates and treatment throughout eight targeted districts in Bihar.

ADRA is implementing this project with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) India, World Vision India, and ADRA International. By its completion in September 2010, ADRA expects to have extended TB education to more than 21 million people.

World Tuberculosis Day, commemorated annually on March 24, seeks to raise awareness about the global TB epidemic and the efforts that are underway to eradicate the disease.

Each year, nearly 2 million Indians develop TB and approximately 330,000 die from it, according to WHO.

TB is a bacterial infection that can spread when infectious carriers cough, sneeze, spit, or propel mycobacterium inside aerosol droplets into the air. Of the 9.4 million new cases in 2008, 3.6 million cases occurred among women. Conversely, some 36 million people have been cured of TB over the past 15 years through a rigorous approach, WHO reported.

ADRA India was officially registered in 1992. Its current areas of work include health, emergency management, economic development, education, water and sanitation, environment, anti-human trafficking, and gender equality.

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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, visit http://www.adraindia.org/.
Author: Nadia McGill

ADRA Commits $1 Million to Earthquake Response in Haiti

SILVER SPRING, Md. —As the humanitarian crisis continues to grow in quake-hit Haiti, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) has expanded its relief efforts by committing $1 million worth of emergency aid to assist survivors in the hardest hit areas.

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“As an organization, we recognize the urgency that this disaster demands, and press forward to meet the most immediate needs of survivors,” said Charles Sandefur, president of ADRA International. “We will continue to do everything possible to alleviate the suffering of those affected in this incredible tragedy.”

As part of ADRA‘s immediate response, an emergency assessment team also traveled to Port-au-Prince to begin coordinating the distribution of aid in the region. The group is expected to arrive in Haiti on Friday, January 15, to support the operations on the ground.

“On our way to Haiti, the expressions of solidarity from everyone we've met have been inspiring. People are encouraging and genuinely emotional regarding the events surrounding the earthquake,” said John Torres, a member of the ADRA International team headed to Haiti.

ADRA is partnering with Toronto-based Global Medic to provide medical aid for survivors through four mobile medical clinics, each of which can assist up to 1,000 patients a day. Survivors will receive other emergency items, such as water purification tablets, water treatment packets, and oral rehydration salt units. Water purification units and a portable water tester will also be available. These water treatment methods will provide clean drinking water for an estimated 90,000 people a day.

A donation of medical supplies from Heart to Heart International will help ADRA provide assistance to as many as 800 people. Supplies include antibiotics, vitamins, vinyl gloves, and over-the-counter pain relief medication.

ADRA network offices have already committed an estimated $98,000 toward the Haiti response. Funders include ADRA United Kingdom, ADRA Switzerland, ADRA Norway, ADRA Canada, and ADRA Portugal.

The quake, which struck at 16:53 local time (21:53 GMT) and approximately 10 miles (15 km) southwest of the capital Port-au-Prince, is the strongest to hit Haiti in more than 200 years. It was followed by two powerful aftershocks registering at a magnitude of 5.9 and 5.5, respectively. As a result, the damage to infrastructure, including bridges, buildings, phone and power lines, has been severe.

Updates will be released as ADRA’s response efforts expand.

To send your contribution to ADRA’s Haiti Earthquake Response Fund, please contact ADRA at 1.800.424.ADRA (2372) or give online at http://www.adraindia.org//.

Follow ADRA on Twitter and Facebook to get the latest information as it happens.

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 http://www.adraindia.org//.
 
Author: Nadia McGill

ADRA India Completes a Three-year TB Prevention, Care & Control Project

Tamil Nadu, South India – Globally, it is estimated that 1.8 million people die from TB each year; the majority of them are in developing countries.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem in India. About 40% of the population in India is estimated to be infected with the TB bacillus. India accounts for one fifth of global incidence of TB and tops the list of 22 high TB burden countries. Tuberculosis is a barrier to socio-economic development.

The greatest burden of tuberculosis incidence and mortality in India is in the population between 15- to 60 years, which includes the most productive members of society. In India, it is estimated that every day more than 5,000 people develop TB and more than 1,000 people die of TB each day.

It was in recognition and response to the huge public health challenge posed by TB, that the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) India with the financial support of the Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH) through ADRA Germany, launched in May 2006 a three-year TB Prevention, Control & Care project in three tsunami affected districts of Tamil Nadu. The ‘Treatment of One is Prevention for All (TOPA)’ project was implemented in 138 villages in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, and Kanyakumari districts of Tamil Nadu from May 2006 to August 2009, and has benefited 191,245 people.

The main objective of the TOPA project was to improve the TB case detection rate and cure rate among the 15 to 50 years old population of the targeted villages through health education and community outreach, and the provision of Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course (DOTS). The project was implemented in close coordination with the Indian government‘s Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP).

The closing of the TOPA project was marked by a Dissemination Workshop held in Chennai on August 24, 2009. 85 participants, including project staff, NGO partners, government officials, medical doctors, and other stakeholders were present during the workshop.


Inauguration of TOPA project Dissemination Workshop 0n 24th of August, 2009 at Hotel Le Royal Meridian-Chennai (India).

“We thank ADRA India for the valuable work rendered in the control of TB and timely support to RNTCP. We would appreciate if ADRA India could continue complementing the work in the control of TB and the State TB office could provide necessary assistance to facilitate this process. We thank ADRA India and the project team for the strenuous efforts put forward.” Dr. E. Subburam, State TB Officer of Tamil Nadu.

The TOPA project was valued at INR 28,588,094 (EUR 453,779), and was financed by the Aktion Deutschland Hilft (ADH) through ADRA Germany.

ADRA India is a local non-governmental organization which belongs to the ADRA global network of independent humanitarian organizations with presence in 125 countries.

ADRA India has been registered under the ‘Societies Act of 1860’ since 1992, and provides sustainable community development and disaster relief without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, race, or ethnicity.

For more information, visit http://www.adraindia.org//.


The TOPA project is funded by ‘Aktion Deutschland Hilft’ through ADRA Germany