Towards a Tuberculosis Free Wordl

One in every three people worldwide is infected with tuberculosis and, while most will never become ill, those who do are often neglected or forced to live in silence with their disease as they are not on their health system’s radar. Members of the IFRC are mobilized to fight TB in their own communities through increased knowledge, as well as being empowered to actively contribute to all stages of TB control – prevention, care, treatment and support. In 2010, more than 5 million community members were reached through Red Cross Red Crescent societies in endemic countries around the world. 

Currently, there are more than 80,000 active TB staff and volunteers, the majority of whom are women, serving their communities, identifying vulnerable groups, providing effective health education and finding those in dire need of treatment. The Red Cross Red Crescent network serves 150,000 patients on a daily basis. This community-based approach is crucial to saving lives. The IFRC’s strength lies in its volunteer network and community-based expertise. Without our volunteers, the fight against TB cannot be won. Active Red Cross Red Crescent volunteers donated nearly 6 billion US dollars worth of volunteer services in 2009 worldwide, or nearly 90 US cents for every person on earth. While many volunteers work across multiple fields, most volunteering work – and the greatest proportion of value – was related to health promotion, treatment and services. Volunteers working in health accounted for more than 2.4 billion US dollars in 2010 alone. Whilst the IFRC’s Strategy 2020 is asking its member National Societies to do more, do better and reach further, TB remains a killer. We know that tuberculosis can be cured in 85 per cent of all cases, but it is essential that the treatment is completed and managed properly. If not, we will witness the development of more strains of multidrug-resistant TB. 

Our TB community-based volunteers are central to the goal of significantly increasing the number of people who can be cured of TB, and they do this by working directly with vulnerable populations. This advocacy report focuses on TB and calls unequivocally for more information on the disease, more funding for TB research, more people to be tested, more people to be treated, more resources and better welfare for the poor. It also offers our global membership of National Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, and you the reader, an advocacy tool that can be used to bring about change for the years ahead as together we commit to ridding the world of this ancient disease once and for all.

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