Why is TB preventive therapy (TPT) important in your community?
TB remains the most common cause of death among people living with HIV (PLHIV), responsible for an estimated 14,181 deaths in Ghana as of 2018. We believe that tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) can reduce TB incidence among PLHIV by up to 89% when combined with antiretroviral therapy (ART). While TB treatment is greatly improved when TB is detected and treated early, we believe that Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (TPT) can reduce TB incidence among PLHIV by 89% when combined with ART.
Can you describe the major goals of your IMPAACT4TB advocacy project? How will your work advance access to TB preventative therapy in your country?
The goal of our project is to promote the uptake of TPT through awareness creation among HIV/TB community members with a focus on training Community Adolescents Treatment Support Group (CATS) and Mentor Mothers at the ART site to be ambassadors and encourage their peers to support the uptake of TPT.
What gaps do you think are important to address?
The knowledge gap among community members and health workers on TPT is something to be worried about. TB Voice Network is going to train Community Adolescent Treatment Support group and Mentor Mothers to create awareness on TPT among their peers and support the uptake of TPT (3HP).
What does it mean for you to be an IMPAACT4TB grantee?
As an IMPAACT4TB grantee, we feel great to be taking a part in saving the lives of our community members by supporting the uptake of TPT in Ghana.