Taking Action Against a Neglected Issue
Though tuberculosis is the third leading killer of adult women worldwide, TB has long been neglected as a women’s health issue. Women face particular barriers to diagnosis and care, and their experience of the disease can be different than men’s. In addition to TB’s unique medical and health impacts on women, a TB diagnosis can also bring with it intense stigma that disproportionately affects women and girls.
In this brief, “Women and Tuberculosis: Taking Action Against a Neglected Issue,” ACTION reviews the evidence regarding women and TB and provides recommendations for accelerating the response by integrating TB services with those for maternal and child health and by increasing collaboration on advocacy between the infectious disease and the maternal and child health communities.