TB Alert: Our work

Getting proper treatment to everybody who needs it anywhere in the world is a matter of urgency. It requires public awareness, determination, organisation and resources. Britain has a long tradition of helping in the struggle against TB worldwide with expertise, research and financial support. But much more could be done, and TB Alert's advocacy work concentrates on:

Lobbying for more resources: We cannot win this fight alone! Britain and other developed world governments, as well as Companies and other NGO's must allocate more resources to fighting this disease.

Campaigning for better tools: No new drug has been added to the basic TB regimen since Rifampicin 35 years ago. Drug treatment takes 6-8 months - a quicker cure would save lives. There is no really effective vaccine. The diagnostic tools currently in use are good, but not adequate.

Promoting a better understanding of the link between TB and HIV: In regions where TB is highly endemic, a high proportion of the population is infected with the disease. When an individual becomes infected with HIV and their immune system is weakened, the TB bacteria are unleashed. Thus, around two-thirds of people with HIV in Southern Africa in fact die from TB. In areas of high co-infection, the individual needs access both to TB treatment to avoid a speedy death, and to anti-retrovirals to remain alive in the longer term. Yet insufficient attention is given to this linkage. Co-ordination between HIV and TB services is often poor; and the opportunities to test for HIV in TB clinics, and for TB in HIV clinics, not taken up.