The CAD is made up of former TB patients who volunteer to work as community health workers.
Photo credit: CHW Central

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), early identification and treatment of individuals with TB is one of the most important strategies to stop ongoing transmission of TB in the community. U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) support has helped build the capacity of community health workers (CHWs) who play a critical role in delivering TB care in the DRC. Club des Amis Damien (CAD), a community-based organization composed of former TB patients, was supported by USAID to expand its activity to seven sub-provinces. Through this expansion, 80 groups of former TB patients were formed and trained to identify and refer individuals with TB symptoms to TB clinics for diagnosis and treatment.

During 2013, members of the CAD referred 3,082 presumptive TB cases to a TB health facility, out of which 52 percent were confirmed as TB patients. Without the CAD’s involvement, these cases could have gone undetected and continued to transmit TB in the community.