Finding the missing TB cases, empowering community members

Though treatable and curable, Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide, killing 1.6 million out of the 10 million people who fell ill with TB in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates.

In July 2017, Marlies Thomastina Aggrey, 24, was tested positive for TB at the Ewim Polyclinic, Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa. She went through a six-month treatment course, and completely got cured of the disease.

Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However many people with active TB are missed each year and are therefore not reached with TB treatment services.

To successfully end the TB epidemic means these missing TB cases must be found. The Global Fund and its partners recognizes that the TB community, including cured TB patients, have an active role to play in ending TB.

As a cured TB patient, Marlies is one of 29 TB Champions from 15 districts in Ghana trained under the Community Systems Strengthening (CSS) component of the Global Fund New Funding Model II (TGF NFM II) to find and report TB cases.

“I fought TB and I won. Now I am out to eradicate it from my community” –TB Champion

As a TB Champion, she undertakes treatment monitoring, contact tracing, intensified case finding, TB-DOTS adherence counselling, follow-up on lost cases, drug monitoring at facilities, effective documentation and reporting of TB cases.

“Through the capacity building training I received under the CSS programme, I use myself as an example to educate my community members on Tuberculosis. So far I have identified 11 TB positive cases who are now on treatment. I am proud to be called a Tb champion because I fought Tb and I won. My aim is to help eradicate TB in my community. “

Collectively, 101 positive TB cases have been identified through the work of the TB champions from December 2018 to May 2019.