Our approach to tuberculosis

The spread of tuberculosis 

TB requires lengthy and complicated medical care. In order to be treated effectively, patients must be administered with the correct dosage of medication, at the right time, and for the correct duration. For many, this can mean taking unpleasant medicine every day for at least six months.

As 87 percent of Papua New Guineans live in rural areas where there are limited health facilities, many patients have to travel considerable distances for treatment.

Coupled with the country’s rugged landscape, the isolation experienced by most rural communities and the transient nature of the population, it can be difficult for patients to complete treatment. Many stop taking their medication once they start to feel better, but this means that the disease is not fully cured. This can result in drug resistance and consequently, new strains of TB emerge – which are more difficult to treat.

In addition, many Papua New Guineans believe TB is caused by sorcery. This means that people do not always seek medical attention when they become sick, instead turning to long-held traditional remedies and ancestral belief systems such as witchcraft. Historically there is a connection between epidemics of illness and the increase of sorcery and witchcraft accusations – which can result in violence against suspects. 

Fighting TB with DOTS 

Through The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, we’re using Directly Observed Treatment, Short-courses (DOTS) to respond to TB in Port Moresby and across the country.

DOTS is the World Health Organization-approved approach to treating TB, bringing the necessary medical facilities and education to communities where it’s needed most.

Rather than relying on patients to travel long distances to receive appropriate care, health professionals come to their communities instead, where they administer treatment and educate the public about TB at Basic Management Units. One busy unit, the Six Mile Clinic in Port Moresby, is equipped with a laboratory and trained technicians, enabling faster diagnosis and more timely treatment for sufferers.

This approach greatly increases the likelihood of patients completing their treatment, while also lowering the number of sufferers who develop a drug-resistant form of TB.

In a more holistic sense, we are also partnering with the Australian Government as well as the Papua New Guinean National TB Program to strengthen the local healthcare system. As part of this, we’re promoting improvements in medicine, technology, education and policy – all critical in the fight against TB.

 Stop TB in Daru 

In Papua New Guinea’s Western Province, which is just 150 kilometres off the coast of mainland Queensland, there are many people living in poverty and isolation from health services. Crowded living conditions and poor sanitation worsen the spread of illness and as a result, TB poses a major threat to these isolated communities.

As a solution, World Vision is implementing the Stop TB Project in the region’s capital of Daru. Funded by the Australian Government, this project is easing pressure on the local healthcare system and drastically improving treatment completion rates.

World Vision operates five Daru Accelerated Response to Tuberculosis (DART) sites across the island every day. Here, Treatment Supporters administer DOTS and at midday each day, patients receive a fresh, healthy meal. This provides them with the necessary nutrition their bodies need to deal with such strong antibiotics, while also encouraging their attendance.

“The rule is if you don’t get your medicine you will not be getting the lunch,” says Sonia, Stop TB National Project Manager. “Because they want to get lunch, then more and more patients came every day.”

Trained Treatment Supporters also monitor the attendance of each of their patients, visiting them at home if they miss a dose, or can’t make it to the DART site. Beyond this, these dedicated team members offer important moral support and guidance to their patients.

Daisy, a Head Treatment Supporter, believes this part of her job is vital to her patients’ recovery. “They talk to us, they sit with us and we talk to them. We make them to laugh,” she says. “Staying close to the patients … that’s how you will give tender care to the patient.”

A holistic response to tuberculosis

 Through our relationships with the Papua New Guinean government and the Australian government, our efforts are taking control of TB in Papua New Guinea. By bringing necessary treatment to the people who need it, we’re curing TB sufferers and improving the quality of life for thousands of people every year.

“I can live a normal life again, as I used to,” says Kyrol, a patient with drug-resistant TB. “The team here was doing a lot of work around the clock every year. They’ve all put together some expertise, time, sacrifice and commitment, just to save lives.”

“TB is airborne, you don’t go out and look for it,” says Valda, World Vision Regional TB Coordinator. “Not to get TB is not to breathe. So, in order for us to stop TB we need to be looking out for these patients, diagnosing them, treating them and encouraging them to complete their treatment and curing them.”