From the TB Alert press release:
New TB Campaign is Offering Free TB Awareness Resources
African HIV Policy Network (AHPN), together with TB Alert, the UK’s national tuberculosis charity, is encouraging black African organisations to get involved in World TB Day, and is offering free resources and materials.
TB Alert has just launched a new awareness campaign, “The Truth About TB”, with funding from the Department of Health. TB remains a crucial health issue, with over 8,000 people in the UK developing the illness each year. “With World TB Day coming up on 24th March, it’s a great time to increase awareness about TB”, says Elias Phiri, Head of Awareness Programmes at TB Alert.
A new campaign website, www.thetruthabouttb.org, focuses on the stories of individual people who have had TB, and contains everything people need to know about recognising the symptoms and receiving the treatment that cures TB.
World TB Day is all about raising awareness anywhere where people will see it – at your organisation or in your community, or by including information about TB in your other programmes. To help you run displays or information sessions, TB Alert can provide free information including multi-lingual posters, DVDs, symptom checker cards, T-shirts, and even balloons to liven up displays.
“Certain communities are more vulnerable to TB”, explains Elias. “23% of people in England who get TB are from the black African community, and significant number of them develop TB because their immune systems have been weakened by HIV.”
Dr Ade Adeagbo, Interim CEO of AHPN stressed that: ”Co-infection remains a major challenge and more effort is needed to prevent and support the treatment of the two conditions, hence HIV and tuberculosis support and services need to be joined up for us to achieve better outcome for African communities in the UK.”
During this Spring, TB Alert is appointing two Community Development Officers to work with communities around the country on developing a wide programme of TB awareness projects. One will be based at Black Health Agency in Manchester, and the other at Naz Project London in Hammersmith.
The awareness materials that are available are:
- An A2 size poster with key messages about symptoms in five languages: English, Somali, Gujarati, Tamil and Urdu
- Two different posters, available in A3 and A4 poster, with key messages about the importance of early diagnosis (in English)
- Credit card-sized symptoms checker cards
- Pens with the message “TB is Curable” and the website address
- “The Truth About TB” balloons
- “The Truth About TB” bus pass holders.
TB Alert also has a new DVD “The Real Story” available to all organisations that get in contact. This 10 minute DVD centres on five people from different backgrounds telling their stories from first TB symptoms through to diagnosis, treatment and cure. Two experts also give the facts about TB. It can be played in 12 languages: English, French, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Somali, Swahili, Tamil, Tigrinya and Urdu.
To talk about materials, information or advice, call Elias on 01273 234028 or email elias.phiri@tbalert.org.