International Tuberculosis Foundation Receives Grant From The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CHICAGO -- The International Tuberculosis Foundation, Inc. (ITF) today received $1.9 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to create a model program to address the urgent lung health crisis in the sub-Saharan African nation of Malawi.

Lung diseases—acute respiratory infection, pneumonia, tuberculosis, asthma—take more children's lives in sub-Saharan Africa than any other childhood affliction. This region also accounts for a majority of avoidable deaths as a result of acute respiratory infection and pneumonia.

"The reason for our involvement needs no justification. Sub-Saharan Africa, more than any other part of the world, is experiencing a catastrophe in terms of preventable lung disease and avoidable death," said Jerry Woolley, ITF executive director. "This generous grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation allows us to build a control model, and eventually, eliminate lung diseases from sub-Saharan Africa by working on a smaller scale first in Malawi."

Woolley added that creating a small-scale model is more cost-effective in the long run. "This grant is being awarded over a period of five years, and therefore is best spent in a way that generates the maximum long-term benefit for the most number of people," said Woolley. "The premise behind this model is not a quick fix. The structures will not only treat the infected; they will also prevent further spread of the disease."

The Chicago-based ITF is dedicated to reducing tuberculosis globally through appropriating funds to strategic areas where the disease is rapidly spreading. ITF was formed by a group of concerned physicians interested in addressing tuberculosis and lung disease worldwide.