A Lifeline for TB Patients – Cure Rates Improve by 39%

Of all infectious diseases, TB is the leading killer of adults in the world today.

• It kills approximately 2 million people each year.
• It is estimated that, between 2002 and 2020, over 150 million people will become ill, and 36 million will die if there is not better control.
• In Africa, TB is escalating out of control and drug resistance is now common.

And yet:

• The association between TB and malnutrition has long been known.
• Malnutrition weakens immunity, increasing the chance that latent TB will develop into active disease.
• TB makes malnutrition worse.

At the 2008 Annual Conference of the South Africa National Tuberculosis Association (SANTA), Dr Geoff Douglas, CEO of Health Empowerment Through Nutrition (HETN) challenged those attending:

• Antibiotics are essential elements in curing TB.
• But without the basics of good nutrition to sustain or rebuild natural health and immunity, we are fighting a losing battle.
• If it is the consensus that the maintenance of health is conditional on eating a balanced diet, this should be the first priority in any health initiative.
• It is the responsibility of all health workers to ensure that their patients are nutrient replete.
• Advising patients to eat a balanced diet, where they have no access or no understanding, is unethical.

It was agreed that HETN would fund a SANTA programme to bring e’Pap to TB patients, their families and care workers.

• e’Pap is a pre-cooked, wholegrain food, based on maize and fortified with soya and a cocktail of 28 nutrients.
• e’Pap is produced in Africa where its composition and brand name are suited to Africa’s taste and tradition.
• The formulation is based on a local understanding of nutritional need, and uses state of the art, first world fortification chemistry to ensure bio-availability and bio-efficacy.

There was some initial scepticism.

• When e’Pap was introduced, no one believed that it would save lives. But we have seen miracles.
• When everyone was losing hope, this miracle pap came to save lives. We used to cry and wonder why people should be so sick. Today, we walk with a smile and songs in our hearts, because we have witnessed the dead brought back to life.
• With this little sachet we can heal the nation; we can change the world.

Such anecdotal evidence, however dramatic, rarely persuades the scientists, but read on.

Seun Maphoroma, the SANTA Co-ordinator for Gauteng Province, reports that, on the 20/03/2009, he attended an event at the Odi stadium, north east of Pretoria, to mark World TB Day. During his address, Brian Hlongwa, MEC for Health, reported that the cure rate for TB in Tshwane Odi area had improved from 56% to 78% – a 39% increase. He dearly wanted to know the reason. Agnes Mphangane, one of the Odi SANTA branch members in attendance, jumped to her feet to explain that this dramatic change had occurred since SANTA began distributing e’Pap to TB patients and their families.

e’Pap changes lives.

If 39% improvement was the response to a new drug, the world would be jumping up and down, but as Ayn Rand said: ‘The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody had decided not to see.’

John Heinrich, SANTA CEO, writes:

• On behalf of SANTA, I would like to express our appreciation of the partnership enjoyed with HETN in the distribution of e’Pap to TB patients, their families and care workers.
• The pilot project of 2 tons of e’Pap per month is proving highly successful. The greatest impact is being seen on very ill / bedridden patients.
• Reports from recipients indicate that e’Pap is far more beneficial than supposed enriched foods received before.
• These e’Pap projects have proved most valuable and are well received.
• Their continuation and expansion is seen as one of the three major objectives of SANTA in the continuing fight against TB and HIV/AIDS – namely Nutrition, Awareness and Directly Observed Therapy (DOTS).
• SANTA is in no doubt that improved nutrition can revolutionise the fight against both TB and HIV/AIDS.

You can help this work. Please donate through – http://www.justgiving.com/hetn/donate

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