Reducing TB stigma to improve care and treatment

SHOPS Plus is working with strategic partners and the government of India to address stigma associated with tuberculosis (TB). The project conducted an analysis of stigma related to the disease with the goal of shifting social norms that shame people with TB. 

India has more than a quarter of the world’s estimated 10 million cases of TB. The national strategic plan focuses on eliminating the disease, and as a result, there is strong support from government leadership. India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, recently announced the country’s commitment to eliminating the disease by 2025 by creating a TB-free India and reaching out to every last person affected by the disease.
 

SHOPS Plus has a two-pronged approach to addressing the cross-cutting determinants of behavior along the continuum of TB care. The first approach is developing communications products that will be rolled out in April 2019 by the Revised National TB Control Program (RNTCP) through television, radio, digital media, and interpersonal communication. The second approach is using insights gleaned from key stakeholders to develop a strategy for stigma mitigation that will be rolled out by the RNTCP in May 2019. 
  
Through these two approaches, the project aims to change the way people view TB. It will increase knowledge and address emotional and social aspects among family and friends of persons with TB. The ultimate objective is to shift the perception of TB to a manageable disease.

View the full infographic on why stigma reduction is critical for TB elimination.

Learn more about our work in India.