Activities to raise awareness about TB among migrant and seasonal farmworkers were held on World TB Day, March 24th, in Cumberland County, NJ by the Center for Human Services (CHS). 

The event featured a presentation by Dr. Pankaj Sadaphal, CHS’ Technical Advisor, Tuberculosis and Infectious Diseases, who talked about TB, its symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. Participants were encouraged to get testing for themselves and their families if they were showing symptoms, were at risk, or had been exposed to active TB. A question and answer session followed in which audience members asked about how to take preventive measures, recognize symptoms, and about how to go about accessing testing and treatment. CHS handed out graphic aids to help participants self assess for TB symptoms and invited them to participate in a quiz to evaluate their level of TB awareness. Educational and promotional materials printed in Spanish and English were also given out.

Research has shown that tuberculosis presents a significant challenge to the migrant and seasonal farmworker community and that stronger control measures need to be implemented to curb the spread of the disease. Farmworkers are at greater risk for becoming infected with TB than the general population, and the number of those infected continues to rise. In addition, a significant percentage of the agricultural workforce are immigrants of Latin American origin who face language and cultural barriers to accessing traditional health services. For over 20 years, CHS has played a key role in the Mid-Atlantic region by facilitating the access of this community to health and educational services. 

Download Dr. Sadaphal's presentation.

Download self-assessment aids in Spanish and English.

Link to an article published New Jersey’s Spanish Language newspaper Nuestra Comunidad.

For more information, contact Louis Marino at lmarino@urc-chs.com.