Worldwide, TB remains one of the leading causes of death from infectious disease.
An estimated 2 billion persons are infected with M. tuberculosis according to the Centers of Disease Control.
World TB Day provides an opportunity for TB programs, nongovernmental organizations, and other partners to describe problems and solutions related to the TB pandemic and to support worldwide TB control efforts.
The U.S. theme for this year’s observance was “Partnerships for TB Elimination” and the Federated States of Micronesia decided on adopting the same theme for its celebration of World TB Day on Tuesday.
According to Dr. Mayleen Jack Ekiek, the FSM TB program coordinator from the Department of Health and Social Affairs, all four FSM states marked World TB Day.
In Chuuk, there was a workshop for a women’s group that trained participants to go out and do a campaign awareness to eliminate TB in the state.
Kosrae State held a speech contest in the schools on the topic of TB knowledge and awarded school supplies as prizes for the best speeches.
Yap and Pohnpei conducted community outreach programs targeting communities most at risk for TB.
Ekiek said compared to last year at this time, “FSM has come a long way in its efforts to eliminate TB.”
She referred especially to Chuuk’s completion of a new isolation ward at the state hospital with up to 20 beds and the hiring and training of nine directly observe therapy workers to go out and visually observe patients taking their medicines.
Worldwide recommendations point out that these workers are necessary to eliminate TB.
Chuuk also provided funding for second-line drugs to help tackle the multi-drug resistant strains of TB that have been identified in the state.
With these new drugs, they are able to better treat their MDR-TB patients.
Ekiek hopes the response from Chuuk can serve as a learning process for the other states, especially on the importance of the creation of an isolation ward specific to TB patients in the local hospitals.
FSM is able to address TB elimination with funding sources from the World Health Organization and the CDC, and hopes to continue the progress toward eliminating TB in the federation.
