Sociocultural Epidemiology and Medical Anthropology of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) in Developing and Low-Resource Settings: Correlates for Change and Model of Community Organisation-Based Interventions

Abstract

Multi-drug Resistant Tuberculosis (MDR TB) represents a serious threat to the health security of the developing and developed world. Current World Health Organization (WHO) protocols known as Short Course Directly Observed (DOTS) treatment, while successful in some circumstances, lack an understanding of local sociocultural, economic and political factors that can contribute to its failure. Combining DOTS programmes with culturally-based interventions that utilize community health workers to deliver medications within the community can achieve higher rates of success while also addressing underlying issues.

Keywords: multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, MDR TB, tuberculosis, TB, low-resource settings, community-based interventions, DOTS, directly-observed therapy, sociocultural epidemiology, medical anthropology, community health workers, model of community organisation