The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has approved emergency funding to support the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis among Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan.
The assistance, totaling US3.3 million, comes from the Global Fund's
Emergency Fund, a special initiative designed to provide quick financing
to fight HIV, TB and malaria in emergency situations. The Global Fund
tapped the Emergency Fund for the first time in November to expand a
mass-distribution campaign of mosquito nets in Liberia, a country severely
hit by the Ebola outbreak.
The International Organization for
Migration (IOM), which operates in Lebanon and Jordan, will be
implementing the programs. The IOM is already providing active and early
TB interventions among Syrian refugees, as well as TB drugs, equipment and
awareness-raising.
With the civil war in Syria entering its
fourth year, the Syrian refugee crisis is one of the greatest humanitarian
challenges of recent times. Lebanon and Jordan host the majority of Syrian
refugees, with 1.3 million refugees registered in Lebanon and 600,000 in
Jordan, a situation which has severely overstretched the capacity of the
public health sector in both host countries and represents an emerging
public health concern.
"Tuberculosis is a disease that affects
the most vulnerable," said Lucica Ditiu, Executive Secretary of the STOP
TB Partnership. "It is essential that we provide a coordinated response to
Syrian families fleeing the war."
In the case of Lebanon, a US2
million program will contribute to the reduction of tuberculosis
transmission, morbidity and mortality among Syrian refugees. Interventions
include TB diagnostics and treatment services, improving knowledge of the
TB epidemic and coordination of the TB response, enhancing service
delivery and human resources and raising awareness of TB among target
populations.
The influx of Syrian refugees to Lebanon has posed
increasing challenges to the National Tuberculosis Program under the
Ministry of Public Health. Sixty-one cases of all TB forms were identified
among Syrian nationals during the first half of 2014, representing 17
percent of all TB cases notified. It is estimated that the number of
Syrian refugees in Lebanon will reach 1.5 million by mid-2015, with
estimated TB incidence among Syrian refugees at 25 out of every 100,000
people.
In Jordan, a US1.25 million program will contribute to
reducing drug-susceptible and resistant TB transmission, morbidity and
mortality among Syrian refugees through provision of uninterrupted and
sustained access to TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care services.
In Jordan, there are 600,000 refugees, with estimated TB incidence of 48
out of 100,000 among this refugee population.
The proposed
interventions are based on thorough needs assessments and strong
consultation with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organization (WHO), the IOM, the
National Tuberculosis Programs in Lebanon and Jordan, technical officers
and other relevant stakeholders.
With US30 million, the
Emergency Fund aims to prevent disruptions in treatment and essential
services when standard funding channels, including the reprogramming of
existing grants, cannot react fast enough. Syria has an existing TB grant,
however the regular grant is limited to national boundaries and cannot be
extended to address emerging needs of refugees in neighboring countries.
Lebanon is not eligible to receive Global Fund support as an upper-middle
income country.
"These interventions are in line with the scope
of the Emergency Fund, which is to give us the capacity to quickly release
funds when an emergency situation arises and when people's lives are being
put in danger by the disruption of our treatment and services," said Mark
Edington, Head of Grant Management at the Global Fund.
About The Global Fund
The Global Fund is a 21st-century organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. As a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases, the Global Fund mobilizes and invests nearly US4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in more than 140 countries. By challenging barriers and embracing innovative approaches, partners are working together to end these epidemics.
Source:
MENAFN Press