World TB Day: Raising TB Awareness Online
World TB Day, observed annually on March 24th, aims to raise public awareness about the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic and ongoing efforts to eradicate it. The USAID HIV/AIDS Agency, Information and Services (AIS) Activity led by Community Partners International (CPI) conducted a series of online campaigns with local partners in Myanmar themed “Yes! We Can End TB.” This year’s objectives include enhancing public understanding of TB within local communities, facilitating case finding, promoting timely treatment of TB, and encouraging community participation in World TB Day initiatives.
In early March, the AIS Activity launched a chatbot on the End TB Together Facebook page. This chatbot provides comprehensive information on TB, covering diagnosis, treatment, TB preventive therapy (TPT), and drug-resistant strains.
The AIS Activity also conducted online engagement campaigns through the End TB Together Facebook page. On March 24th, the page’s audience was invited to add a World TB Day frame to their Facebook profile picture for a chance to win a prize. More than 400 people participated, and 15 won a prize.
The AIS Activity also promoted a World TB Day photo challenge campaign through the End TB Together Facebook page. Participants took photos featuring the pledge “Take TPT to Prevent TB” in their local language and publicly shared their photos on Facebook tagging two friends and including the hashtags #TB, #WorldTBDay, #YesWeCanEndTB, and EndTBTogether.
Through these engaging online activities, the AIS Activity encouraged communities across Myanmar to take proactive steps in understanding, preventing, and treating TB. These efforts not only provide individuals with crucial knowledge but also encourage collective action and amplify the resounding theme, “Yes! We Can End TB.”
The USAID HIV/TB Agency, Information and Services (AIS) Activity aims to achieve HIV epidemic control by ensuring 95 percent of people living with HIV in Burma are aware of their status, 95 percent of those identified as positive are on antiretroviral treatment, and 95 percent of those on treatment are virally suppressed. It also aims to achieve a Burma free from TB by reaching every person with TB, curing those in need of treatment, and preventing the spread of disease and new infections. It is funded by PEPFAR and the Global Accelerator to End TB through USAID.