New Delhi: The union health ministry has launched the #IndiavsTB, TB- Free India campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan, TB survivor and Ambassador for TB-Free India. The 5 part campaign talks about early identification of symptoms, the importance of treatment completion, MDR-TB and social impact of TB on families and children. The campaign theme #IndiavsTB symbolizes India’s fight against TB and “TB Harega, Desh Jeetega” is the tagline of the campaign.
The campaign is developed by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union) supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Challenge TB. The campaign films featuring Mr Amitabh Bachchan have been directed by famous Bollywood Director Shoojit Sircar, the print campaign has been shot by ace photographer Daboo Ratnani and DDB Mudra has created the campaign.
Earlier this year, Amitabh Bachchan also featured in a TV commercial and radio spot where he encouraged viewers and listeners to support the ministry’s grassroot, door-to-door initiative to actively find new TB cases. Speaking on the campaign, he said, “I am happy to lend my voice to the campaign to end TB. I have pledged my support to the Indian government’s Call to action for a TB Free India and will continue to work with them till our country is free of TB.”
Speaking about the campaign, Kavita Ayyagari, Project Director, Challenge TB, The Union said, “The problems that the campaign address are that people take symptoms of TB lightly; people stop TB treatment mid-way once they feel better; are unaware that TB can recur and become drug-resistant; and that TB is not just an illness but also a social disease that impacts not only the patients but their children and families.”
Shootjit Sircar, director of the TV advertisements for this campaign, added, “This is an important and essential campaign and the messages must be spoken as loudly as possible. The messages of the campaign are serious, but we wanted to introduce some situational humour, which we have done in the two TV advertisements featuring Mr. Bachchan.”
India bears over a quarter of the global burden of tuberculosis. New surveillance and survey data from India in the last few years have indicated that the TB epidemic is more than was previously thought.
