Educating young people on tuberculosis

To mark World TB Day 2020, Professor Sanjib Bhakta, Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Biochemistry, discusses his new collaborative project which aims to educate children on tuberculosis (TB).

JoiHok

 Birkbeck’s Mycobacteria Research Laboratory is currently working on a charity project, called ‘JoiHok’ (translated to ‘Let victory be yours!” in English), that is looking at educational intervention as a means of spreading awareness and effective control of disease. The project concentrates on students in greater Kolkata, India from low socioeconomic backgrounds, whose families are disproportionately affected by tuberculosis (TB) due to factors like malnutrition and poor living conditions.

TB has progressively worsened with the advent of antibiotic resistance, hence there is urgent need to review and deal with the disease not only as a medical concern or even public health problem alone, but also as a social problem. The project is using creative tools like local folk-art and music to encourage children to engage, learn and discuss the issue of antibiotic resistance in the context of TB. It is hoped the children’s knowledge will be transferred to household members which in turn could encourage patients to adhere to prescribed anti-TB medication.

Global infectious diseases are rarely out of the news, as new communicable diseases such as COVID-19, Ebola, Zika, bird flu as well as older, familiar diseases such TB, cholera and malaria, raise concerns about outbreaks and global pandemics. In our ever-changing, rapidly globalising world, the free movement of people and goods, social change, urbanisation and environmental degradation, mean that microorganisms can move quickly between and across populations, crossing natural and human-made borders with ease. On top of this, microorganisms are constantly adapting and developing resistance to existing antibiotic and other treatments, leading to the resurgence of old diseases and the evolution of new ones.

Birkbeck’s research-intensive MRes Global Infectious Diseases course is designed for developing the research aptitude and skills that one needs to develop an academic or professional career as a researcher into global infectious diseases.

Share

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.