An award ceremony for the best journalism on issues related to tuberculosis (TB) will take place on November 6, 2015 at 9 a.m. at the Republican Scientific Medical Library in Bishkek (Togolok Moldo, 1, int. Moskovskaya). The ceremony will conclude a seven-month competition among the media organized by the Ministry of Health and the National TB Center with support from the USAID Defeat TB project.  The goal of the competition is to increase public awareness of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of TB in Kyrgyzstan.

The contest commission received 105 submissions from 27 journalists, including online and print articles, talk shows, and televised news reports. The submissions were evaluated by a team of specialists from the National and Bishkek TB Centers, the media community, the National SES services, the Kyrgyzstan Family Group Physicians & Nurses Association, and the USAID Defeat TB project.

Minister of Health Batyraliev Talantbek, USAID Mission Director Michael Greene, Director of the National Tuberculosis Center Abdullat Kadyrov, government representatives, civil society activists, and international organizations are expected to participate in the award ceremony.

Tuberculosis is one of the most significant healthcare challenges in Kyrgyzstan. About 6,000 TB cases are reported annually, with increasing incidence of multi-drug resistant TB.  Public awareness of TB-related issues is critical for successful prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

USAID works with the Ministry of Health and other partners to promote patient-centered, cost-effective approaches to TB, and to improve treatment outcomes through patient support groups.