DUSHANBE, June 9, 2014, Asia-Plus -- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the East Air airline have pioneered a joint informational campaign to raise the awareness of this airline’s passengers on tuberculosis prevention and treatment.

IFRC Delegation to Tajikistan notes that under IFRC supported project of Tajikistan’s Red Crescent Society (RCS) aimed at increasing the awareness of labor migrants’ on sanitary-hygiene, HIV/AIDS, STI, Hepatitis B and C, and TB prevention, as well as legal issues, informational-educational leaflets with information on tuberculosis in Tajik are being disseminated in the East Air flights from Qurghon Teppa and Kulob cities to the Russian cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, and Orenburg and back.

The RCS project is being implemented with support of “AIDS Infoshare” in the frameworks of the Assistance Program for Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Combating Infectious Diseases.

Mr. Farrukh Qosimov, Migration Program Manager at IFRC Tajikistan, says: “Lack of basic knowledge about some main health issues, such as awareness and prevention of HIV and TB, and knowledge about healthy lifestyles and STIs increases the vulnerability of migrants.  Being mostly employed on construction sites, many migrants live several people in a small building barracks unfit for habitation and in a highly unsanitary conditions, which in turn makes them more vulnerable to health issues.  That is why we focus on increasing the awareness of the labor migrants on the health issues under this project.”

The leaflets contain main and basic information about tuberculosis, infection ways and its signs, threats it causes, and prevention methods.  Mr. Anatoly Galunov, the East Air General Director, says, in the recent years this is the first experience in Tajikistan of an air company involvement into raising the awareness of a targeted group of the society on health issues.  He says: “We understand the importance of the knowledge about vital issues and we are happy to be part of such honorable and charitable efforts as assisting people to have better health and future. In our flights we provide our passengers with the informational package, which includes not only our magazine and other informational materials, but also these leaflets on tuberculosis prevention and treatment.”

The RCS informational-educational centre for labor migrants and their family members was recently opened in Qurghon Teppa under the project funded by the Russian NGO “AIDS Infoshare” and with IFRC Tajikistan support.  This is the eighth RCST center specialized to provide informational and educational services for the targeted population throughout the country.  Beneficiaries can learn Russian language, computer literacy, and their legal rights in these centers free of charge. Starting from 2009, more than 20,000 people in Tajikistan benefited from these RCS informational-educational centers created and co-financed through IFRC Tajikistan.

These informational leaflets have been developed and printed with support of “AIDS Infoshare” in the frameworks of the Assistance Program for Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia in Combating Infectious Diseases.

The East Air operates in the market of Tajikistan since 2007. The airline currently operates flights from Kulob and Qurghon Teppa cities to Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Novosibirsk, Orenburg and Chelyabinsk.  The airline''s fleet consists of Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircrafts.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network, reaching 150 mil­lion people each year through its 188 member National Societies.  Together, the IFRC acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people.  The IFRC established its permanent presence in Tajikistan in 1994 to provide assistance to the most vulnerable population of the country in close cooperation with the Red Crescent Society of Tajikistan (RCST).  The RCST is one of the oldest humanitarian organizations in the country and is providing assistance to people in need since 1927.