March 24 marks World TB Day. This date recalls the discovery of the bacillus responsible for the disease, and highlights a persistent reality: tuberculosis continues to cause death despite being diagnosable and treatable.
On a global scale, it remains one of the main causes of death linked to infectious disease. Progress is real, but remains limited in contexts where living conditions complicate access to care.
“Tuberculosis is the infectious disease that kills the most people in the world, largely because it is not diagnosed in time,” explains Dr Wolgens Saint-Fleur, a physician at Zanmi Lasante. “A person can be contaminated simply by breathing in the microbes released when a patient coughs or talks.”
In Haiti, tuberculosis evolves in a constrained environment: precarious housing conditions, irregular access to health services, delays in diagnosis, difficulties in following a long course of treatment. Added to this is a lack of information that maintains confusion around the disease and delays seeking care.
The answer lies in the concrete organization of services; At Zanmi Lasante, tuberculosis care is based on a network of 12 sites, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health and Population and the National Tuberculosis Control Program Teams identify cases, initiate treatment quickly and provide follow-up until the end of the care pathway.
Screening is carried out in hospitals, health centers and communities, through active case-finding activities. “As soon as a case is suspected, we test immediately,” says Dr. Saint-Fleur. “And if the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment begins without delay.”
Tuberculosis treatment lasts several months, generally between 4 and 18 months. This long follow-up requires rigorous organization. Clinical teams and community health workers maintain regular contact with patients, identify obstacles and adjust support.
Without this follow-up, interruptions are frequent. In response, teams put in place appropriate support: help with transport, nutritional support, close monitoring of the most at-risk patients. These measures help to keep patients on treatment and limit transmission.
Over the last five years:
- More than 15,000 people screened for tuberculosis
- More than 8,000 patients successfully treated
- Social support schemes put in place to reduce the costs of care and facilitate follow-up
In 2025, more than 3,200 patients were screened and put on treatment across Zanmi Lasante sites.
For patients, access to treatment directly changes the trajectory of the disease.
“When I wasn’t on treatment, I didn’t think I could live,” recounts one cured patient: “I had no strength left. Today, I’m fine. The doctors and nurses took good care of me.”
These results rely on the coordinated work of clinical teams, laboratories and community health workers. They also depend on the ability to maintain services in an unstable context, where any interruption directly affects patients.
The fight against tuberculosis relies on precise elements: identifying patients, ensuring regular follow-up and removing obstacles that complicate treatment. Across the Zanmi Lasante network, these activities are helping to improve access to care for almost 3.8 million people, particularly in Plateau Central and Artibonite.
Reducing transmission and improving outcomes depends on the ongoing strengthening of screening, treatment and patient follow-up.
Maintaining screening, guaranteeing access to treatment and ensuring patient follow-up over several months requires constant resources. Support tuberculosis care in Haiti.