ďŹ ghting tuberculose In China and in Mongolia
Benjamin BĂŠchet / +33 (0)6 61 12 05 16 / bechetben@hotmail.com
ďŹ ghting tuberculose in China
With over 4.5 million people infected with TB, China has the world’s second highest number of TB patients. 85% of these patients are poor. Poor people live in conditions that make them more vulnerable to contracting TB, and less likely to receive treatment. Some cannot afford to be diagnosed, or would fear stigma if they were. Others, once diagnosed, cannot afford transportation to clinics, or even basic nutrition while on treatment. Still, others risk abandoning treatment as they migrate to work in cities. Through Global Fund grants, more than 500,000 people have been treated successfully. Poor TB patients are now provided with transport to dispensaries, monitoring, food and free diagnostic services (microscopy, X-rays). Global Fund TB grants are also used to educate the general population on TB, and to train health workers. January 2006 for the World Health Organisation and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Malaria and Tuberculose.
fighting tuberculose in Mongolia
Mongolia is a place of extremes. It is a large country with a small population and a long, harsh winter. The inhospitable Gobi Desert lies to the south and there are mountains to the north with a vast steppe in between. While many people live the traditional, nomadic life of herders, growing numbers live in the capital. Nearly one million of Mongolia’s 2.8 million people are registered residents of the city of Ulaanbaatar. However, unofficial figures put this number as high as 1.3 million. Increasing numbers of people are migrating to the city from the provinces to look for work, many of whom live in gers (white felt tents) on the outskirts of the city. The country’s most serious public health issues due to infectious diseases can also be described in terms of extremes. TB is Mongolia’s most serious infectious disease problem right now. By contrast, only 21 people had tested positive for HIV as of June 2006. However, the potential for an HIV epidemic is enormous.