Almost one thousand new cases of tuberculosis are diagnosed in Belgium every year, 35% of them in Brussels. Because of this resurgence, Damien Foundation supports BELTA-TBnet’s tuberculosis project in Brussels.
BELTA-TBnet aims to manage the tuberculosis problem in Belgium by removing the financial barriers that hinder access to adequate TB prevention, diagnosis and treatment. This should lead to a reduction in the number of tuberculosis cases in Belgium, a reduction in the transmission of the disease and the prevention of multi-drug-resistant TB.
With our support for this project, BELTA-TBnet is able to provide shelter and mental health support to homeless tuberculosis patients. Accommodation is crucial to their healing process, as a patient with a roof over their head can better recover after a stay in hospital. Our partner Vrienden van het Huizeke provides these shelter initiatives.
BELTA (Belgian Lung and Tuberculosis Association) is the umbrella organisation of the VRGT (Vlaamse Vereniging voor Respiratoire Gezondheidszorg en Tuberculosebestrijding) and FARES (Fonds des Affections Respiratoires). They work on detecting tuberculosis and provide medical support for TB patients in Brussels.
Our impact in 2021
Belgium
Since
2015
Budget allocated
260.000 €
Diseases treated
Population coverage
Tuberculosis
1 218 255
Patients detected during the year
Tuberculosis
294
Tuberculose multirésistante
3
Patients who received socio-economic support
Tuberculosis
56
- BELTA & Vrienden van het Huizeke
- Tuberculosis programme Brussels
Rayan’s story
“I had already been living on the streets for a number of years when I suddenly became ill. I had a high temperature and fits of coughing. But I had no money to go the doctor. The fear gripped my heart. I slept little and could only think about one thing all day long: where will I sleep tomorrow? Things took a bad turn mentally. And I felt death coming closer and closer.”
Rayan*, homeless tuberculosis patient
Rayan became weaker and weaker. In few months’ time he lost almost 20 kilos. Luckily, a medical team from BELTA, the Belgian tuberculosis association, found him. Rayan was admitted to hospital, where he began free TB treatment.
Punctual treatment
However, you can only be cured of tuberculosis if you follow your treatment properly. Rayan had to go to the hospital for his medicine every day, and had to ensure that he ate and rested sufficiently. This isn’t always a straightforward matter for people affected by homelessness and poverty.
Damien Foundation and BELTA
In order to make sure that Rayan and other homeless TB patients in Belgium are properly monitored and continue their treatment, Damien Foundation joined forces with BELTA. At their request, Damien Foundation provides shelter to homeless people with TB in Brussels for the duration of their treatment. We also pay for their transport to and from the hospital, and issue welfare vouchers which TB patients can use in certain Belgian stores to buy food and clothing.
*This is a pseudonym.
