Reggae band & aid agencies team up to help fight Tuberculosis in Armenia
On March 24, the sounds of famous Armenian reggae band ‘Reincarnation’ rang out in the capital city during a concert organised by World Vision together with its partners Médecins Sans Frontières, Armenian Red Cross Society and National Tuberculosis Program.
The concert aimed to raise awareness about tuberculosis, a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria*, as well as to address the false perceptions about the disease and encourage tolerance among the public towards people with tuberculosis.
...misperceptions and stereotypes about tuberculosis hinder the global struggle against it “Tuberculosis can’t be treated”, “It can only touch people in difficult social conditions” and “It can’t touch anyone for the second time” are the primary misconceptions about tuberculosis among the public. Stigma against people with tuberculosis also stems from a lack of information and knowledge.
“Tuberculosis can be treated”, “We can fight tuberculosis”, “Armenia without tuberculosis” were the main messages conveyed to the public at the event.
“It is a phenomenon how misperceptions and stereotypes about tuberculosis hinder the global struggle against it. People should be informed about tuberculosis, and doing it through events like this has proved to be very effective”, said Arax Hovhannisyan, Health Specialist for World Vision Armenia.
People keep dying of tuberculosis simply because they don’t have basic knowledge about how to handle it “Tuberculosis is a disease that can be easily treated nowadays, but people keep dying of it simply because they don’t have basic knowledge about how to handle it. That is why by educating people about tuberculosis we will have already done half of the work in our way to fight it”, said World Vision Armenia National Director Graham Strong.
“Struggle against tuberculosis does not simply imply treatment. It also involves some work with those who have been affected by it. People with the disease should know they have the support from doctors, from their friends, from people around them”, said Head of Mission for Armenia at Médecins Sans Frontières, Stobdan Kalon.
Just because tuberculosis hasn’t touched us, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about it During the concert information leaflets about tuberculosis were handed to the participants while posters conveying basic facts about tuberculosis were on display. The reggae band was actively involved in the campaign by conveying to the public the main messages on tuberculosis.
“We are here because we are not ignorant to the problems existing around us. Just because tuberculosis hasn’t touched us, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about it. Everyone should be struggling against it however they can. We do it through our music”, said the reggae band soloist Roland Gasparyan.
With this event World Vision Armenia marks the start of programming in the field of combating tuberculosis. It is anticipated that new projects will be implemented to address tuberculosis within World Vision Armenia’s health activities.
* Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air, when people who have the disease cough, sneeze, or spit. Most infections in humans result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of its victims, found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis
The concert aimed to raise awareness about tuberculosis, a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria*, as well as to address the false perceptions about the disease and encourage tolerance among the public towards people with tuberculosis.
...misperceptions and stereotypes about tuberculosis hinder the global struggle against it “Tuberculosis can’t be treated”, “It can only touch people in difficult social conditions” and “It can’t touch anyone for the second time” are the primary misconceptions about tuberculosis among the public. Stigma against people with tuberculosis also stems from a lack of information and knowledge.
“Tuberculosis can be treated”, “We can fight tuberculosis”, “Armenia without tuberculosis” were the main messages conveyed to the public at the event.
“It is a phenomenon how misperceptions and stereotypes about tuberculosis hinder the global struggle against it. People should be informed about tuberculosis, and doing it through events like this has proved to be very effective”, said Arax Hovhannisyan, Health Specialist for World Vision Armenia.
People keep dying of tuberculosis simply because they don’t have basic knowledge about how to handle it “Tuberculosis is a disease that can be easily treated nowadays, but people keep dying of it simply because they don’t have basic knowledge about how to handle it. That is why by educating people about tuberculosis we will have already done half of the work in our way to fight it”, said World Vision Armenia National Director Graham Strong.
“Struggle against tuberculosis does not simply imply treatment. It also involves some work with those who have been affected by it. People with the disease should know they have the support from doctors, from their friends, from people around them”, said Head of Mission for Armenia at Médecins Sans Frontières, Stobdan Kalon.
Just because tuberculosis hasn’t touched us, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about it During the concert information leaflets about tuberculosis were handed to the participants while posters conveying basic facts about tuberculosis were on display. The reggae band was actively involved in the campaign by conveying to the public the main messages on tuberculosis.
“We are here because we are not ignorant to the problems existing around us. Just because tuberculosis hasn’t touched us, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about it. Everyone should be struggling against it however they can. We do it through our music”, said the reggae band soloist Roland Gasparyan.
With this event World Vision Armenia marks the start of programming in the field of combating tuberculosis. It is anticipated that new projects will be implemented to address tuberculosis within World Vision Armenia’s health activities.
* Tuberculosis is a common and often deadly infectious disease caused by mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body. It is spread through the air, when people who have the disease cough, sneeze, or spit. Most infections in humans result in an asymptomatic, latent infection, and about one in ten latent infections eventually progresses to active disease, which, if left untreated, kills more than 50% of its victims, found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuberculosis
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