In Kaohsiung, new cases of tuberculosis numbered around 1,990 in 2012, more than 50% of which were seniors over the age of 65. As part of the Art against Tuberculosis campaign, the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) invited seniors to the Zuoying Daitian Temple in Kaohsiung on April 14, 2013 to learn about TB prevention, receive free diagnostic chest X-rays, and enjoy live performance by seasoned artists of the Chinese Confederation of Entertainment Unions

According to Taiwan CDC statistics on TB, the number of new TB cases reported in Kaohsiung in 2012 has dropped more than 20% since 2005. Out of all new cases, 96% comply with directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS), a number slightly higher than the national average of 95%. Although there have been progress in a lot of areas, efforts to improve TB healthcare must be sustained.

The Art against Tuberculosis campaign touring various temples in Taiwan features an opening performance by the Electric-Techno Neon Gods, and a live performance advocating TB prevention and management hosted by Chin Wei, former show queen Betty, popular singer-movie star Chen Qiong-Mei, along with Si-Ma Yu-Jiao - hostess from Happy Everyday, a popular 80s-90s TV program. Through the art of Shuixuedouchang – a form of comedy and stage acting that mixes singing and witty repartee to deliver a strong social message, Art against Tuberculosis calls on people to safeguard their health for the sake of their families. Chen Qiong-Mei, a successful case of TB management developed a persistent dry cough at eight years old. At the time, she dismissed her condition as a passing inconvenience, or at most a cold, but her mother suspected a more serious issue and took her to see a doctor, where they discovered that Qiong-Mei had TB. Under the care of her mother and an effective medical regimen, Qiong Mei successfully completed treatment.

Data from Taiwan CDC taken by TB-caregivers in the DOTS program revealed that patients who complied with DOTS enjoyed a 72% success rate, compared to 47% for those who did not. Therefore, DOTS and its supporting caregivers both play an important role in successful TB treatments.

Ma Hui-Zhen has been carrying out the DOTS program in Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City for three years. She recalls a heartbreaking story about a TB patient who was not only suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes, but also blindness caused by retinal lesions. He was living a miserable and lonely life; after discovering that he carried TB, neighbors refused to live by him, some even going so far as to harass him in person in attempts to force him out of his home. Ms. Ma encourages patients to persevere in their fight against TB. With daily home care from a caregiver, patients can receive help for taking medication and going to and from hospital visits; at the same time, educating the community on TB eliminates the problem of withering looks from uninformed neighbors. Even after the patient completed his treatment, Ms. Ma still devotes time to the Taiwan Foundation for the Blind and collaborates with social workers to provide in-home care to enhance the lives of patients in need.

For her efforts with DOTS, Taiwan CDC recognized Ms. Ma with an award for her work in disease prevention. She stresses that TB is not as terrible as many imagine it to be. In fact, many people – including patients and their families- are unaware that TB becomes non-infectious after only two weeks of medications. Patients may initially reject treatment as well as the idea of caregivers, so caregivers must cultivate mutual trust and bond with patients to increase the chance of successful treatment.

The rate of success for treatment improves dramatically when drugs are administered by caregivers, according to the Kaohsiung City Government Department of Health. Everyday, caregivers lead patients to take their medication “from the hand, to the mouth – swallow, then leave” . This method ensures that patients not only take their medication correctly, but gives them access to immediate advice, allowing each patient the capacity to regain full health. In the future, the local government will continue its efforts to implement more TB control measures.

Art against Tuberculosis will continue its campaign tour on Saturday, April 27 at the Xianse Temple in New Taipei City, then the Tainan Grand Matsu Temple on Saturday, May 4. Each event will feature free gifts (while supplies last), a live quiz, prize drawings, and creative live-action performances as Taiwan CDC invites the public to join the effort against tuberculosis.