Stop Tuberculosis with Joint Efforts
While global attention has focused on COVID-19 pandemic for the past years, other diseases have not disappeared.
Currently, the Republic of Moldova is the country with high priority for tuberculosis control in the European Region. At the national level, tuberculosis remains one of the priority public health problems, with the country being among the 30 countries with the highest burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world.
In the context of migration, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis continue to be an important public health concern for both countries of origin, such as the Republic of Moldova, and those of destination. The risks of tuberculosis associated with migration are poorly understood by those involved in the migration process and their families.
On the eve of the International Day of Migrants celebrated annually on 18th of December , which promotes the rights of migrants and capitalizes on the potential of human mobility, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the National Tuberculosis Response Program (NTRP) and the General Inspectorate of Border Police ) organized two flash mobs at Chisinau International Airport and National Bus Station. These actions are part of the national campaign "Stop Tuberculosis with Joint Efforts" which began on December 6 and aims to inform the mobile population, especially those working abroad on the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis.
The national community information and awareness campaign is part of the project: "Improving the Detection, Surveillance, Treatment and Prevention of Tuberculosis among the mobile population in the Republic of Moldova in terms of gender awareness (TB-MIG)" carried out with the financial support of the Fund IOM development. This campaign includes two flashmobs involving students at the University of Medicine who are seen as health promoters, distributing information materials on the diagnosis and treatment of TB at the 10 border crossings and in 40 medical institutions, training on creation of support groups with TB patients and placement of the informative video spot on TB treatment on four TV channels.
The beneficiaries of the project are: NTRP, “Chiril Draganiuc” Institute of Phthisiopneumology, the staff that provides assistance in the treatment of TB; migrant patients with TB, circular migrants; Moldovan citizens and foreigners crossing the state border.
