Source: TB prevention a tough sell for miners in Gates-funded project by Jim Landers. Dallas News, May 21, 2007

The Problem - And A Different Solution

The focus of this story is the noncompliance with a tuberculosis treatment regimen, even though it requires taking only one pill a day for nine months. Project Thibela, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, aims to distribute the anti-TB medicine, isoniazid, to 68,000 gold miners who live in mine hostels around Johannesburg and are one of the groups must vulnerable to TB and HIV. The program has the potential to cut the number of infected miners by 80 or 90 percent - if the targeted individuals took the medicine.

“The biggest issue here is social behavior,” said Dr. Gavin Churchyard, executive director of the Aurum Institute. “We have to get 80 percent to accept it and keep on taking the medication to get a dramatic decline in tuberculosis.” Side-effects, mistaken notions about the illness and treatment and rumors that the drug decreases sexual prowess are thought to be some of the barriers to adherence.

While the problem is serious and all too common, it is not the reason I’ve selected it as the topic of this post. Nope, this story appeals to me because of one of the means the project personnel chose to attack the problem. As the article notes,

I have no clue about the likelihood of this tactic being successful. I’m just happy to see someone, somewhere promoting treatment adherence as something positive and joyful rather than a grim task.

• Compliance Is Compliance Is Compliance
• Selling Compliance
• 98.6% Medication Compliance
• Statin Compliance
• Watching Compliance