Iraq has one of the highest tuberculosis (TB) prevalence rates in the region, with more than 15,000 individuals infected annually, according to Iraq Ministry of Health. In response, IOM Iraq is providing urgent medical support to TB patients across the country.
Since 2014, IOM’s Emergency Health Program has been supporting the Iraqi Ministry of Health’s National Tuberculosis Program (NTP), focused on assistance to displaced Iraqis, Syrian refugees, and vulnerable host community members, in cooperation with WHO and Health Cluster partners. In the last three months alone, IOM provided initial screening for more than 2,400 presumptive TB cases.
IOM Iraq’s TB in emergencies activities were initially carried out in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), and in Kirkuk governorate. This year, working hand in hand with health authorities, IOM expanded its TB activities to operate in 12 governorate across the country: Anbar, Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Duhok, Erbil, Kerbala, Kirkuk, Najaf, Ninewa, Salah al-Din and Sulaymaniyah.
“The conflict in Iraq has created enormous humanitarian challenges, including placing additional strain on the health system, and the exacerbation of health needs. IOM Iraq is pleased to work together with Iraq’s Ministry of Health and humanitarian partners to educate vulnerable populations about the risk of Tuberculosis and to support prevention and treatment,” IOM Iraq’s Chief of Mission, Thomas Lothar Weiss.
In 2017 IOM was selected as the principal recipient of the Global Fund to provide support for the Iraqi NTP, through which IOM and NTP designed a major TB program intervention. This program aims for tuberculosis control in Iraq, especially among IDPs, returnees and Syrian refugees.
Efforts include awareness raising, medical staff training, support to screening facilities, and early detection and diagnosis of TB cases among IDPs in emergency sites and camps. IOM carries out initial screening at camps and in host communities; diagnostic tests to confirm cases are carried out at NTP laboratories. Between 2014 and 2017, IOM supported detection of more than 300 TB cases by NTP health facilities among IDPs and Syrian refugee populations in the KRI and Kirkuk. Within the last four months, more than 50,000 IDPs, refugees and host community members have been visited by IOM mobile medical teams to raise their awareness about TB.
According to Iraq’s NTP, in 2016, 7,246 TB cases were identified — 47% male and 53% females — with age groups ranging between one to four years old (164 cases) and upwards to 65 and older (1,075 cases). Of the total 305 individuals were IDPs.
Source: IOM. Read full information.
11 July, 2017
