World Tuberculosis (TB) Day 2022

Each year, World Tuberculosis (TB) Day is celebrated on March 24 to raise awareness of the catastrophic health, economic and social consequences of TB and to strengthen efforts to end the global TB epidemic. Tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. The theme of World Tuberculosis Day 2022 is “Invest to End TB. Save Lives’’ expresses the dire need to invest resources to scale up the fight against TB and deliver on the commitments made by world leaders to end TB.

HERD has long experience in TB work in Nepal. HERD has implemented several projects in TB control ranging from service delivery to evidence generation. The first action research project initiated with National TB Programme (NTP) was developing a Public-Private Partnership model in TB control in urban, and a randomised controlled trial comparing TB treatment delivery strategies in hard to access areas- community and family-based TB care. Both projects directly contributed to advancing NTP policy and strategies. While keeping the research support to NTP, HERD has gained considerable experience through consultative involvement in planning, implementation and expansion of Direct Observed Treatment Service (DOTS). Likewise, HERD has also contributed to NTP’s capacity development through the development of training manuals/guidelines and facilitating the relevant training.

While keeping its research and other technical support to NTP, HERD has been directly implementing TB control activities in more than 28 districts. Key service delivery areas that HERD has been engaged in are public-private partnership and International Standard of TB care in TB control; a practical approach to lung health; TB HIV collaboration; Operational research; drug-resistant TB; promoting TB patients’ Charter and patient-centeredness, tobacco cessation and contact tracing.

Please find synopsis of Tuberculosis in Nepal