DUSHANBE, March 15, Asia-Plus  -- On occasion of World Tuberculosis Day, which is annually held on March 24, Tajikistan’s Red Crescent Society (RCS) organizes a series of activities in Dushanbe, Khorog, Khujand, Kulob and Qurghon Teppa as well as 20 districts, Madina Sayfiddinova, an information officers, RCS, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to her, the activities aim to raise TB awareness among the population as well as attract attention of the public to the issue of preventing any forms of discrimination against TB sufferers.  

The organized activities, involving the RCS volunteers, will target the most vulnerable sections of the population.  “This action is part of the “Improving Living Conditions through Community Level Primary Aid” program run by the RCS jointly with the Netherlands Red Cross under financial support of the European Commission,” the information officer said, adding that the activities will cover more than 40,000 people most vulnerable to TB.

The events are conducted in a close cooperation with the Republican Center for Formation of Healthy Lifestyle, the Ministry of Health (MoH) and health directorates in the provinces.    

World Tuberculosis Day, held annually on March 24, commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch presented his discovery of the TB bacillus to a group of doctors in Berlin.

Sayfiddinova added that according to a survey conducted by a MoH and the HOPE Project, more than 5,000 TB sufferers have to date been registered in Tajikistan.