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Today the humanity is facing a number of actual health problems which require urgent addressing and solution. These problems are tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and drug use. The Health Department of the Armenian Red Cross Society is actively fighting in these directions. The overall goal of this fight is to prevent the mentioned diseases and reduce the vulnerability of target groups towards them, support the beneficiaries' treatment course through encouraging treatment adherence. Means of prevention include dissemination and education which raise awareness both among general public and among beneficiaries and reduce stigma and discrimination.

24 March is the World Tuberculosis Day

The disease of Tuberculosis (TB) has been known to mankind since ancient times. Though today it is a curable disease it continues to take lives of millions of people. The annual morbidity of TB throughout the world is 8-10 million people and the mortality is 2.7-3 million people. TB is the basic cause of deaths from communicable diseases.

In Armenia it also represents a serious healthcare challenge. The annual TB morbidity constitutes 80 new cases among 100,000 population. In 87% of cases TB affects the age group of 15-55 who are the major working force in the country, including 30% which involves young people under 24.

24 March is the World TB Day. It has already become a tradition for the Armenian Red Cross Society to organize together with partners public campaigns this day, involving both youth and general population. This year also the ARCS, jointly with a number of organizations working in TB which are: the National Tuberculosis Office of the RA Ministry of Health, Médecins Sans Frontières – France and World Vision Armenia NGO, organized events to raise public awareness on TB and call to stop stigma and discrimination.

Prior on 23 March, the ARCS volunteers and representatives of the mentioned organizations visited major universities of Yerevan and distributed among students printed materials on TB and disseminated the problem. The ARCS volunteers also had meetings with the universities’ student councils and discussed possible terms of cooperation.

Then on 24 March, in three of the most busy locations of Yerevan, near Isahakyan statue, Rossia cinema and Garegin Nzhdeh metro-station, booths were placed and posters with TB slogans were hanged. The ARCS volunteers, staff and representatives of the other organizations distributed among general public booklets and leaflets on TB, introduced the message of the day and answered people’s questions on the topic. The event aroused interest and created a lively atmosphere among public. Many people were approaching the booths themselves wishing to receive information. Some made detailed queries to be informed about TB as much as possible.

Later on the same day an open air concert was organized in Lovers’ Park with the renowned Armenian reggae band Reincarnation performing. The musicians addressed the TB slogan of the year which is “new approaches towards the fight against TB”, spoke about the protection of the rights of people with TB and called the participants to unite for reducing stigma and discrimination. The concert had driven to the park a large number of especially young people who responded to the musicians’ calls with great enthusiasm. During the concert the participants also received information materials on TB. Posters with TB slogans, as well as with “do”s and “don’t”s were hanged all over the park.